This is an archive page - MANY LINKS ON THIS PAGE MAY BE BROKEN. Links elsewhere on the site are checked regularly.
New! 28.10.09
Nearby Shrewsbury-based DASH (Disability Arts in Shropshire) is celebrating the International Day of Disabled People on 3rd December 2009,
with a fantastic creative and social day for disabled people. The day starts at 10am with welcome drinks, pastries, entertainment and speeches.
Then take your pick from workshops about puppets, painting/drawing, photography or video.
Lunch will be served at 12.15pm, with performances by local disabled artists creating a party atmosphere.
In the afternoon session they will be finding out what makes YOU happy, what makes YOU smile, what YOU want DASH to do in the future.
They will also be telling you about the work DASH has done in the past. To finish off the day there will be short films, performances,
speeches and drinks. Book your place early by calling Mike, Paula or Paul on 01743 272939 or 01743 271676 or email admin@dasharts.org
New! 28.10.09
Added to the Directory: The Textile Triangle is devoted to antique and contemporary work in textiles, originating
from the textile towns of Macclesfield, Congleton and Leek. This up-to-date and attractive website is associated with the Three Shires Textiles Festival.
New! 28.10.09
Added to the Directory: The Orme Art group is a... "group of people in Staffordshire and Cheshire who had outgrown 'classes' but were feeling isolated working alone. The group meets once a month for creative practice.
Twice yearly exhibitions give us an opportunity to get feedback from the public and to offer work for sale."
New! 28.10.09
Added to the Directory: The Nantwich Museum which, as well as displaying local history, also shows contemporary work
in its Millennium Gallery (currently showing work by the Threadmill group of 16 local textile artists) and Community Gallery
(currently showing work by the Orme Art group from Cheshire and Staffordshire).
Also added to the list of nearby local museums showing contemporary work: Congleton Museum;
The Shire Hall Gallery;
and Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
New! 28.10.09
Added to the events page: The Enterprise & Commercial Development unit at Staffordshire University is inviting people to a Creative IP Event on 18th November 2009
(4pm-6pm) in the Activity Space at Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent. They will have three speakers on the topic of intellectual property and the creative industries.
These include: Robert Sales (Swindell & Pearson); Ian King (Faculty Director, Law); and James Welch from www.redsauce.com.
The event is open to local professionals as well as members of the university. To book a place, please email Naomi Arblaster at: n.arblaster@staffs.ac.uk
New! 27.10.09
Are you a small retailer who could use a grant of up to £50,000 to help deter or manage crime?
The Small Retailer Grants Fund application deadline is 6th November 2009, and the Fund is open to partnerships
of small retail businesses in the city of Stoke-on-Trent (not elsewhere in Staffordshire).
Information on how to apply for a partnership group grant can be found here.
New! 27.10.09
Congratulations to Pamela Sambrook, who has just published her well-researched
book The Staffordshire Oatcake: A History
(Palatine Books, 128 pages).
New! 27.10.09
Birmingham-based The Traditional Arts Team are searching for the best young storytellers from across the British Isles,
leading up to a national event on Saturday 13th March 2010 at the Central Library Theatre in Birmingham city-centre. If you're a young person who tell stories, or someone who knows a talented young storyteller,
please contact Fiona on 01490 430551 / 07941 918159 or email: fioan@tradartsteam.co.uk
The Traditional Arts Team also runs Peak Performance storytelling workshops in the nearby Peak District.
Forthcoming dates are Sunday 1st November and Sunday 6th December 2009.
They are part of the English Storytelling Network,
and also publish the Folk Monthly magazine of traditional folk activities.
New! 27.10.09
The £1.3m Redundant Buildings Grant Scheme for Staffordshire helps to bring buildings back into productive economic use (e.g.: an art gallery, a workshop for a crafts maker).
The scheme is coming to an end in March 2010, so now is a good time to apply if you're planning to renovate a disused building.
Grants are between £2,500 and £62,500. Staffordshire Moorlands Council has a leaflet on the scheme (PDF link).
The scheme excludes Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 26.10.09
The Staffordshire Community Foundation currently has a programme of Grassroots Grants available for small community groups.
Grants of between £250 and £5,000 are available for volunteer-led community groups which work exclusively in the area of Stoke-On-Trent and Staffordshire.
New! 26.10.09
YDE Young Creatives is a competition aimed at dance choreographers aged 15 to 19, who are creating dance with up to five dancers. The winners will be provided with mentoring,
residential workshops and seminars, and major performance opportunities. The application deadline is 30th November 2009, and you'll need to send video footage of your dance piece.
Those selected from applications will then present informally at the Royal Opera House in January 2010, and finalists will perform publically in London in April 2010.
Full details from Youth Dance England at: claire@yde.org.uk
New! 26.10.09
Would you like to learn some of the ways to teach children to write songs? There's to be an afternoon Sing Up! Song Writing Workshop in nearby Telford,
on Thursday 26th November 2009. It will be led by Mary Keith, and will be aimed at school teachers, singing leaders and
community musicians who are working with children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 (ages 5-11).
You'll explore different approaches to simple songwriting, looking at the basic building blocks (lyric, beat, rhythm, melody,
harmony, structure, arrangement, accompaniment) and at different creative starting points.
Cost is £20 per person. Interested? To book a place, email Telford & Wrekin's Children's Workforce Team at: childrensworkforce.team@telford.gov.uk
New! 26.10.09
Jobs: Staffordshire's Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL) has another three new opportunities at local schools:—
1) Hagley Park Sports College (a secondary school located just south of Stafford) requires an Automotive Designer.
The aim is to stage a "Formula Hagley Kart" event, in which the pupils will employ maths, science and technology to design,
construct and test their vehicles to meet a series of challenges. The project will take place during Spring of 2010 and there is a budget of up to
£3,600. Interested? For a full brief please email: kevinmrayner@hotmail.com
2)
Leasowes Primary School in Stafford are seeking A Poet to help the school realise the full potential of their outside area.
The project will take place during Spring of 2010. Fee: £3,700. Deadline: 2nd November 2009.
Interested? For a full brief please email: Catherine Hill at: chill71@btinternet.com
3) The Phoenix Nursery in Wolverhampton are seeking a Creative Practitioner. All art forms will be considered.
You'll enable the school to think creatively about the use of ICT in an Early Years setting, where the children are draw from a high-unemployment neighbourhood.
Delivery will be between January and March 2010, either in regular weekly sessions or in intensive blocks.
Fee: £3,000. Deadline: 17th November 2009. Interested? For a full brief please email Lisa Harrison at: lisaharrison@blueyonder.co.uk
New! 26.10.09
Stoke-on-Trent's Andrew Stuart is planning a documentary on photographers rights in the UK, police stopping photographers,
and the fight to show that photography is not a crime in public places.
Andrew is a 2nd year Broadcast Journalism student at Staffordshire University. He would like to speak to people who have been stopped by the police while photographing.
If you've had that experience, or know someone who has, then please contact him via his website's contact page.
New! 26.10.09Script is running a one-day workshop event on "New Narrative Structures and Writing Opportunities in the Digital Age".
The event will be held in Birmingham, on the 7th November 2009 (10am-5pm). Tickets are £50 (£40 concessions).
More details at the above web link. Due to the ongoing postal strike, those booking are asked to email your completed
workshop booking form to: catherine.edwards@scriptonline.net
New! 26.10.09
Added to the Directory: Summer Bank Studios, a recording studio in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent.
The studio is 40ft x 20ft x 15ft tall, has a vocal booth and a large 35ft control room, and also has various rehearsal rooms.
The studio currently has a special pre-Christmas offer on the MySpace page.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: The Interior Design Practice. Located in Stoke town, Stoke-on-Trent,
The Interior Design Practice offers highly personalised transformations for everything from traditional houses to apartments and corporate interiors.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Red Dog Photography. Located in Uttoxeter.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: James Kemp (Ceramic Materials). Located in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, James Kemp
are suppliers of colours and pigments for use in a large range of applications — from ceramics to plastics, glass and enamels.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: James and Ward Architectural Consultants. With offices at the Staffordshire Business Village in Stoke-on-Trent, and at
Walsall, James and Ward can offer a broad range of retail project experience, and also a team
specialising in the design and procurement in specialist and private housing.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Envisage Design. Located in Stoke-on-Trent, Envisage are specialists in display stands and conference/exhibition accessories.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Bomark Studios. Located in Stoke-on-Trent, are providers of print, film and web services.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Sculpted Steel. Located near Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands,
Sculpted Steel offers a combination of traditional blacksmithing skills and contemporary design techniques.
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Jacqueline Harold Designs. Located in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent,
Jacqueline is a designer-maker of handmade tableware including automata, ceramic, resin, and silverware.
New! 22.10.09
Are you the best Young DJ/MC in North Staffs? Stoke-on-Trent's Young DJ/MC of the Year 2009 Competition
is now open for entries. The competition is run by the Shelton-based DJ School and is open to any young local DJs and MCs/rappers between the ages of 12 and 25 years old,
male or female. This year's event will be held at Zen Nightclub in Foundry Street, Hanley,
with special guest DJ and remixer Pete Bromley (Golden, Altern 8). Doors will open at 1pm for competition-entry bookings, and 2pm for guests. Price is £4 on the door.
This year's winner will receive: 1) a set of techniques decks and a mixer; 2) an agency contract with Verbal Arts.
The best Young Rapper of the Year will receive: 1) a radio mic set; 2) a recording contract with Verbal Arts.
To register your interest as a competitor please send the following details to info@djschool.org.uk — 1. Full name; 2. Postal address; 3. Contact telephone number; 4. Age; 5. DJ or Rapper?
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Events listing: Interested in the arts and metal health? Breaking Cycles are staging a one-day conference in nearby Telford, titled "Using the Arts as an Aid to Mental Health & Well Being".
The event will be on 12th November 2009 at The Holiday Inn, Telford (9.30am to 3pm), and will
explore the role the arts play in mental health and well-being by showcasing examples of good practice in Telford and Shropshire, and enabling
discussion for future developments. For further information and booking forms, please contact Helen Chesters at: helen.chesters@telford.gov.uk
New! 22.10.09
Job: Sundorne Infant School, in nearby Shrewsbury, are seeking an exceptional musician to help them explore their Creative Partnerships enquiry question:
"To what extent can music be used to enhance the creative delivery of other curriculum areas in order to support the learning journey of our pupils?"
You will be working with a mixed (Years 1 & 2) class of 28 pupils, and with the school music coordinator.
A fee of £3,200 is available. Planning will begin in November, with activities during Jan - April 2010.
Application deadline: 1st November 2009. For a full brief please contact Iain Armstrong at: iaincp@phonoscope.co.uk
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: Supply2Gov is an online search portal for all lower-value contracts offered by local and national government. Previously
requiring a subscription, use of the portal is now free after a simple sign-up. Paid subscriptions are being retained only for wide-area email alerts for new contracts.
Contracts are posted on the site by all local authorities including Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Cheshire East Council.
The fourth edition of the free booklet Tendering for Public Contracts : A Guide for Small Businesses (PDF link) may be useful reading for those interested
in Supply2Gov. Public sector organisations may also be interested in the free OGC Contracts database.
New! 21.10.09
The NoiseFloor Festival of sonic art will be held at Staffordshire University, from 16th to 17th January 2010.
There will be a series of concerts throughout the weekend which will present eight-channel electroacoustic works. The concerts will progress to a less
formal two-channel setting in the evening, where other forms of electronic music will be showcased. Interested in submitting fixed media or live works?
Stereo and multi-channel audio or audio-visual works (up to 8 channels + sub) are invited for consideration. Equipment needed for diffusion of fixed media
and audio-visual works will be provided — composers will need to provide their own laptop and performers for live pieces.
Composer attendance is encouraged, but is not required. The submission deadline is: 20th November 2009 (postmarked). There is no submission fee.
Full details are available here or contact Ben Ramsay at the Music Technology Department: ben.ramsay@staffs.ac.uk
New! 21.10.09
Jobs: Staffordshire University at Stafford require three Technical Skills Specialists to provide technical support to students, in:
Computing/Games Programming (Ref CET09/3c);
Film/Television (Ref CET09/3a); and
Music Studios/Laboratories (Ref CET09/3b).
Application deadline: 5th November 2009.
New! 21.10.09
Birmingham's Shout lesbigay arts festival is offering a rare chance to attend a West Midlands symposium on queer theory and contemporary art,
titled Troubling Desire(s) in Art': a Queer Symposium.
It'll be held on Saturday 14th November 2009 (9.30am to 4.30pm) and the price is just £5. At that price, tickets are likely to sell quickly and you should book as soon as possible.
New! 21.10.09
Added to the Directory: the neighbouring Creative Shropshire website, which appears to have launched in late summer 2009.
New! 21.10.09
Interested in a look behind the scenes at a thriving and profitable Stoke-on-Trent ceramics firm? Five new videos have been uploaded to the Emma Bridgewater YouTube channel in the past few days...
New! 21.10.09
Added to the Directory: Visual artists may be interested to know that Weston Park (famous for staging the annual V Festival)
has launched its own visual arts gallery in a Heritage Lottery Fund -restored building.
Situated on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border just SW of Stafford town, the free Granary Gallery (open daily, all year, 11am–4pm) is a white-walled gallery,
and its selling shows change each month. Contemporary shows are accompanied by items from the Weston Park reserve collection of old masters, and
from local private collections — made possible by the modern environment controls in the gallery. Exhibiting artists are currently handpicked by Gareth Williams, curator to
the Weston Park Foundation. The Weston Park website is also encouraging volunteer assistants for the Granary Gallery in 2009/10.
New! 20.10.09
There's news of a new £1-million Staffordshire Business Support Fund for small businesses in Staffordshire.
The successful Black Country Reinvestment Society (BCRS) is joining with Staffordshire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund, and Advantage West Midlands to
offer new loans across Staffordshire. The Fund will start to operate from November 2009, providing loans to small businesses of between £10,000 - £25,000 — repayable over four years.
Businesses will have to be based in Staffordshire, employ fewer than fifty workers, and have been turned down for commercial loans by conventional banks. Watch for further
details on Creative Stoke.
New! 20.10.09
The Victoria Hall and Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent are staging
two half-term youth dance workshops...
1) Hip Hop Dance is from 26th to 29th Oct, 10am-3pm each day. "An intensive and creative four days of high energy, hip hop dance with choreographer and director
Lucie Talbott (Director of Dance Nuvo). The piece you create will be premiered on stage at The Regent Theatre
in 010 Dance, the annual youth dance festival, on Saturday 30 Jan. Suitable for boys, girls age 10 – 18 and
while previous dance experience is useful it is not essential. Venues: The Victoria Hall (Mon-Tue) and St. Margaret
Ward Catholic School, Tunstall (Wed-Thurs). Cost: £80 all inclusive (£75 for families receiving benefits) (£50 each when booking two places at once).
Plus costume costs – these will remain as reasonable as possible."
2) Comedy Drama Workshops at the Victoria Hall. Cost: £10 per person...
* 27th Oct, 10am-3pm. Ages 8-11. "This fun and lively taster workshop will look at comedy characters, accents, facial expressions and body language. Don't miss your chance to play the fool!"
* 28th Oct 10am-3pm. Ages 12-18. "Working with professional actors you will look at some classic comedy scripts from English television and theatre,
and focus on perfecting accents, body language, punch lines and timing."
New! 20.10.09
Stoke-on-Trent's Stoke Your Fires festival of animation (Feb 2010) has opened the
2010 Stoke Your Fires Animation Awards for submissions. The categories include: Best Professional Regional Animation "Made in the Midlands".
Full information from: info@stokeyourfires.com
New! 20.10.09Museums for Schools is a newly-launched online directory
for the educational provision for schools offered by 150 museums in the West Midlands. Users can also filter their search, for museums able to offer activities for a specific educational stage...
New! 20.10.09Staffordshire Marquetry Group are running free workshops on 24th October 2009, at the Ancient High House in Stafford town centre.
Participants will be introduced to the basic techniques of marquetry. All materials and tools are provided and participants will
be able to make a simple coaster, pendant or keyring. Booking by email through the Group Secretary, Quentin Smith, at: quentin@staffsmarq.freeserve.co.uk
Participants interested in learning more about marquetry, and joining the group, will
be provided with further materials, and a DVD of the recent National Marquetry Exhibition. A gallery of group work will be on show in the
Ancient High House from 20th – 24th October.
New! 20.10.09
Added to the Events listing: Next week sees the launch of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Youth Dance Network meeting.
To be held on Tuesday 27th October (4.30pm to 7pm) at the Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, the meeting
invites dance leaders, practitioners, artists, teachers and anyone working with young people involved in
youth dance to meet others in the area, find out what they are doing and how they might obtain funding.
The evening will begin with a free development class from 4.30pm-6pm with Rachael Lines of Stoke-on-Trent's
FRONTLINEdance, followed by an hour for networking (complete with nibbles and refreshments). If you cannot attend the 4.30pm class,
you can still come along for the networking and information session. To attend you need to let Hannah White know you are coming — email: hannahwhite@theambassadors.com or phone 01782 211221.
New! 20.10.09
Applications for U.Dance England 2010 (National Youth Dance Festival) are now open. U.Dance England will take place at the
Birmingham Hippodrome from 1st to 4th July 2010. Dance pieces must be no longer than six minutes. The deadline for applications is: 30th November 2009. Those shortlisted will first perform at regional dance events,
with the best being selected for the national event.
In Stoke-on-Trent our U.Dance regional dance event is on Saturday 16th January 2010 at The Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent.
U.Dance England 2010 finalists will be offered a three-night residential stay, a workshop/seminar programme leading to a high-profile public dance
performance. Interested? The application forms are online here.
New! 19.10.09
Do you have a new project idea about how to creatively use or reclaim a local "natural asset"? Perhaps an annual programme for a sculpture trail, with land art
training summer schools? Or enhancing a natural ampitheatre so it can be regularly used for outdoor storytelling and performance? How about a beautiful and immense willow-maze threading through otherwise
impenetrable neglected woodland, as a first step towards reclamation by the community?
Advantage West Midlands and Natural England have launched a £2 million Natural Assets funding scheme, aiming to stimulate the use of the best of our natural environment in economic development and regeneration.
Grant awards will range between £35,000 and £250,000. Current applications deadline: 6th November 2009. For more information on grants see the above web link — or contact Ruth Metcalfe, Grants Advisor at
Natural England, at: naturalassets@naturalengland.org.uk
New! 19.10.09
The Staffordshire Community Foundation are managing the county's 2009/10 Comic Relief grants scheme. Grants are on offer,
at between £1,000 and £10,000. Projects applying for a Comic Relief grant should: increase local services; build the skills of the local people;
increase community cohesion; and respond to local economic needs. The application deadline has been extended and is now: 3rd December 2009.
New! 19.10.09
Added to the Directory: A fine new website for talented illustration graduate Emma Ridgway.
Emma has recently returned to Staffordshire after completing her degree at Falmouth.
Emma Ridgway: Bob Dylan.
Emma also has an active weblog, showing her most recent work...
Emma Ridgway: Self-portrait in calligraphy, Sept 2009.
New! 16.10.09
All the external web links in Creative Stoke's Directory have been checked for viability, using an automated service. Broken links have been either deleted, or found again and repaired.
The Support Services page has been checked and repaired by hand.
New! 16.10.09
Job: Staffordshire Moorlands Council is seeking a firm to produce a pilot advertising-bearing Council community magazine
in November 2009. The Council requires a managed service contract with a single point of contact, for the three stages in
the production, distribution and advertising sales administration.
This initial quotation is for the production of a pilot issue in November 2009. Application deadline: 21st October 2009.
See the web page for more information, or email: procurement@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk
New! 16.10.09
Job: Stoke-on-Trent's Stoke Your Fires festival of animation (Feb 2010) is offering an
opportunity to design and make the eight awards/prizes for the 2010 Stoke Your Fires Awards.
Fee: £1,000, to include all expenses. Deadline: 13th November 2009. Further information is available from Katie at: info@stokeyourfires.com
In 2010, the Festival will be set within a month of community animation activities such as a display at the Potteries museum, drop-in children's workshops during half-term, special screenings of
animation in the Forum theatre, and outreach animation workshops in schools and for community groups.
New! 16.10.09
Added to the Events list: Do you use virtual worlds in further or higher education? Would you like to?
A one-day Virtual Worlds In Education Forum is happening at Staffordshire University (Stafford Campus)
on 2nd December 2009, 9.30am to 3.30pm. This JISC RSC event is open to people from across all post-16 education sectors in the West Midlands. Deadline for
bookings: 25th November 2009.
New! 15.10.09
The Stoke-on-Trent British Ceramics Biennial now has
an online booking form available for
its one-day Artists Into Industry Forum, at the new Wedgwood Museum on Friday 30th October 2009 from 10am to 4pm.
Tickets cost £25 per person, students £10.
New! 15.10.09
The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has produced another edition of their excellent free booklet,
A Guide To Sources Of Small Business Finance In The West Midlands (September 2009).
This detailed guide has everything you need to know about current regional and specialist sources of funding for your small business, and can be freely downloaded from the web page.
New! 15.10.09
Added to the Directory: North Staffs Drama Association, the Five Towns Theatre (Stoke-on-Trent),
the Longsdon Amateur Dramatic Society (Staffs Moorlands),
and the Stone Little Theatre (Stone).
New! 15.10.09
Job: Flash Ley Primary School, at Stafford, are seeking a Drama Specialist to develop Year 6 skills in... "co-operative learning, team-building and the ability to reflect and discuss our aspirations through drama."
Delivery will be between January and April 2010. Application deadline: 9th November 2009.
Budget: £4,000. Full details from Sue Harding at: susie23harding@live.co.uk
New! 15.10.09
Job: Harpfields Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent is seeking Drama Practitioner and a Visual Artist/ Designer & Maker
for an Ancient History project centered on the Romans. Delivery will be during the Spring Term of 2010.
Budget: £3,000. Application deadline: 6th November 2009.
Full details from: jwardle@sgfl.org.uk
New! 15.10.09
The full programme (PDF link) for
the Creative Industries and Creative Communities conference, to be held in Stoke-on-Trent on 11th November 2009,
has been announced.
New! 15.10.09
Just three days left for small and medium enterprises in the West Midlands to apply for £3,000 Innovation Vouchers
to be spent on hiring in academic support from local universities. At October 2009 the scheme currently has available 110 vouchers funded by Advantage West Midlands
and the European Regional Development Fund. Application deadline: 18th October 2009. Full information and application forms are the website, or email:
enquiries@innovationvouchers-wm.com
New! 15.10.09
Job: William Shrewsbury Primary School, in Stretton, near Burton-on-Trent require a Creative Practitioner
who can make a real impact in the school and bring us a "completely different learning experience"
to a class of Year 6 children. You will work at the school between January and March 2010.
Deadline: (tomorrow!) 16th October 2009. There is £3,000 available to support the work to include practitioner fees, travel and any resources.
For a full brief please contact Angela Cloves-Hayden on 01283 239131 quoting "Creative Practitioner".
New! 15.10.09
Job: Aqueduct Primary School, in nearby Telford, require a Creative Practitioner in any discipline.
The pay is £220 per day for a contract of up to eight days, beginning in January 2010. You'll contribute to the topic of...
"how we interact with, and who we are within, the world around us" to "help us to recognise the qualities and values of diverse cultures and global needs".
The age range of the children will be determined in consultation with the practitioner. Application deadline: 2nd November 2009.
Full details are available from: hazrobbins@googlemail.com
New! 15.10.09
Volunteer posts: Stoke-on-Trent Library Service has secured a £28,000 grant to set up the StokeReads project. The funding will pay for volunteers who enjoy reading to be
specially trained on how to run a group of adult readers, and what kind of books and literature to use.
Group sessions may include reading aloud favourite passages and poems, discussing a book that everyone has just read, and inviting authors to
discuss their work. If you are interested in setting up a group, or being a member of one, please contact Anne Mackey at: anne.mackey@stoke.gov.uk
New! 15.10.09
Volunteer post: An enthusiastic volunteer Arts Project Assistant (unpaid, expenses only) is required to work on the Christmas Lantern project for the Stoke-On-Trent
Christmas Lights switch-on event, which will be held on 10th - 12th November 2009. The project is being run by Bristol-based Refab Arts.
Application deadline: 20th October 2009. Full details from Emma Myers at: info@refabarts.com
New! 15.10.09
Are you reading Creative Stoke from the nearby Peak District? Or perhaps you know a creative who lives there?
The Leader project is a new £1.9 million Peak District project,
starting this October and funded until 2013. Leader will offer grants from £3,500+ to enable...
"new micro-enterprise activity and helping existing micro-enterprises (less than 10 employees and £2m turnover/social enterprises)
to develop new projects involving the development and/or promotion of local products and services."
New! 15.10.09
Fancy a trip to Texas? UK Trade & Investment and Birmingham's Fused magazine are inviting applications for a trade mission from the West Midlands
music scene to SXSW Music from the 17th to 21st March 2010.
Given that Stoke has such strong music scenes, it would be a pity if the city wasn't represented. The aim of the trip is to...
"... take a group of companies representing music in the region in order to network, develop partner relationships, increase international trade,
and meet companies interested in developing opportunities and investment in the West Midlands"
Deadline: 19th October 2009. Full details are available online.
New! 14.10.09
Job: Just two days left to apply for a Trainee Workshop Leader post with Radiate,
which offers professional development for West Midlands artists who are interested in working with children.
You'll be a West Midlands' artist / trainer who wants to gain professional experience working in a school over the 2009/2010 school year.
Deadline: 16th October 2009. For full details of this post, please email: admin@radi8.info
New! 14.10.09
Cheshire's Tatton Park Biennial has announced 2010 dates (8th May to 26th September 2010). The Biennial will
feature 30 artists, performers and writers who are asked to respond to the local landscape and local sense of identity.
Most commissions are by invitation only, or are for Cheshire artists only. But one of the open competition calls appears to be
open to artists living in North Staffordshire, if they can show that they work in the North West...
"Tatton Park Biennial invites artists who are currently living or working in the North West of England
to develop site-specific proposals for the 2010 Biennial: Framing Identity. One artist will be selected to
participate in the Biennial with an awarded budget of £5,500 to cover fees, materials and expenses."
New! 14.10.09
Are you interested in ancient sites in the British landscape, and the people who live near them? You may be interested to know that there's a major new £1.4m conservation and recording project in nearby Cheshire.
Habitats and Hillforts was officially launched in October 2008, and now has a website. It's a
major series of Heritage Lottery-funded conservation projects, with parallel arts and crafts projects, that will be...
"focusing on the chain of historically
important hill top Iron Age forts that lines Cheshire's Sandstone Ridge".
Details of Habitats and Hillforts's future 2009/2010 countryside crafts courses and arts training
events can be had from: habitatsandhillforts@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
There is also the major Habitats and Hillforts arts project "Interloper", which will be a three-year undertaking by artist
Patricia Mackinnon-Day. Her series of arts projects will run during 2009 - 2011, and will
explore the idiosyncrasy of remote rural communities as well as being an investigation of the natural world along the Sandstone Ridge trail.
New! 14.10.09
Jobs: Staffordshire's Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL) has another four opportunities at local schools:—
1) Park Hall Primary, at Weston Coyney, Stoke-on-Trent, is looking for a
Creative Partner from any background, to help the school address the question: "How can the natural resource of the outdoor learning environment be effectively utilised to drive forward creativity within our school?"
The project will take place during the Spring term of 2010. Deadline: 2nd November 2009.
Budget: £3,600. Full information is available from: parkhall@sgfl.org.uk
2) The Thomas Russell Infants School, at Barton-under Needwood in Staffordshire, is seeking
a Creative Practitioner from any creative background, to make use on the schools' fabulous grounds to help answer the question:
"can collaboration and interaction working on an outdoor investigation result in more confident, creative learners?"
The project will take place during the Spring term of 2010. Deadline: 2nd November 2009.
Budget: £3,700. Full information is available from: mrsjkelly@googlemail.com
3) St Andrew's C.E. Primary School, at Weston near Stafford, is seeking a Creative Practitioner to develop ideas for a Numeracy Trail with
elements of role-play, differentiated tasks, and activities which would need to be sustainable and updateable.
However, the school will be open to the practitioner's ideas. The project will take place during the Spring term of 2010. Deadline:
30th October 2009. Budget: £4,000. For a full brief please write to: Mrs Kate Edgecombe, St Andrew's C.E. Primary School, Ferrer's Road, Weston, Stafford.
ST18 0JN.
4) Belgrave C.E. Primary School, at Longton, Stoke on Trent, are seeking two Creative Practitioners
to rework and remodel role-play areas in an existing classroom — making them into magical worlds that can inspire creative writing.
The school envisages a storyteller/writer and a maker/environmental artist, but will welcome applications from any creative background.
There will be a Planning Day in December, with Project Activity from January until the end of March 2010. Evaluation day in April / May 2010.
Deadline: 9th November 2009. Budget: £3,500. Full information is available from: susie23harding@live.co.uk
New! 14.10.09
The nearby Buxton Festival's third annual poetry competition has launched, and the theme in 2010 is "A Breath of Fresh Air".
Entries are invited from throughout the British Isles. Competition sponsors Waterstone's are providing prizes.
Husband and wife team Peter and Ann Sansom will judge the 2010 competition, and the patron is the nation's former Poet Laureate,
Sir Andrew Motion. There are three categories: "Open Poetry" for poets 19 and over; "Young People's" for poets between 12 and 18;
and "Children's Poetry" for those who are aged 11 and under. The deadline for entries is: 1st April 2010. Entry packs can be
downloaded here.
New! 14.10.09
Amateur artists and crafts makers, who want to run community workshops in their chosen art or craft form,
are being offered free, one-off training days in October 2009.
Each training day will be run by one of two experienced arts tutors, with backgrounds in the field of tutor training.
The workshops nearest to North Staffordshire are...
* Friday 23rd October 2009 - 10am to 4.30pm.
The Birmingham Rep Conference Centre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham city centre.
* Wednesday 28th October 2009 - 10am to 4.30pm.
Dalton-Ellis Hall, Conyngham Road, Victoria Park, Manchester.
See the website for booking details.
New! 14.10.09
A new Ray Johnson documentary about a North Staffordshire family of stage magicians premieres at the Film Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent tonight. The showing is free, at 7.30pm.
The trailer for The Van Buren Storyis online here (10Mb).
New! 14.10.09
Added to the Directory: the painting and sketching blog of Roger Taylor. Roger
currently has a solo show (until 18th Oct) on at ArtWaves, in Nile St., Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
Roger Taylor, A500 (2009).
New! 13.10.09
Job: The National Dance Teachers Association, based in nearby Lichfield,
requires a Programme Co-ordinator (two days per week).
You'll plan and deliver the NDTA's programme of continuing professional development and events.
Deadline: 6th November 2009. More information at the above web link.
New! 13.10.09
Job: Stoke-on-Trent City Council is looking for a multi-disciplinary team of experienced landscape designers to
develop a public-realm design covering around 8,000 square metres. This landscape design contract has an estimated value of between £1.5m - £2m.
The deadline for applications is: 4th November 2009. Interested? For full information please email: matthew.robinson@stoke.gov.uk
New! 13.10.09
More details are emerging of the grand biennial West Midlands Open Art Exhibition. It'll run from 6th March to 2nd May 2010, at the
Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and will be part of a cross-promoted West Midlands Open programme with Wolverhampton Art Gallery,
and possibly with other galleries. Artists are now being invited to apply for The West Midlands Open 2010.
Artists may submit up to three original works, which must have been made since January 2007. These works can be in: 2D (any medium);
3D (sculpture or construction, but not furniture or crafts); or time-based and digital interactive work.
Deadline: 3rd Jan 2010. For further information about the West Midlands Open, including application forms and fees, please contact Tom Grosvenor: tom.grosvenor@birmingham.gov.uk
New! 13.10.09
Creative Stoke has a 'taster' gallery of images from some of the exhibitions of the British Ceramics Biennial 2009 in Stoke-on-Trent.
There's also a video trailer for the Marl Hole artworks, on YouTube, made by Johnny Magee.
New! 13.10.09
Job: Local video production company ST16 Ltd are seeking an Entry Level Video Editor / Visual Effects Artist.
Working from beautiful rural offices near Stafford, you'll edit, grade and produce simple motion graphics under the supervision of a
director. On large projects you will support the current Video Graphics Editor in preparation of assets.
Salary: £14,000 to £16,000 depending upon experience. Deadline: 30th October 2009.
This is a 3 month contract. At the end of the 3 month period ST16 would expect a successful candidate to add a further 8 months to the contract — creating an 11 month contract.
For a full job description, and an application form, please email Catherine Worsley at: c.worsley@st16.co.uk
New! 13.10.09
Job: Nearby Telford is seeking a Lead Artist to work on the development of a war memorial for Telford & Wrekin, to be placed within Telford Town Park.
Phase One will develop a suitable piece of work that will "define the space" to be occupied by the final memorial, and which will probably be the basis or foundation of the final piece.
The Phase One piece will be used in the delivery of a celebration event due to take place in May 2010. There is a £2,000 fixed fee for pre Phase One work, and an
application deadline of 30th October 2009. The timescale will be discussed at interview. Interested? For a full artists brief, and instructions on how to apply,
please send an email to: sarah.belcher@telford.gov.uk with "War Memorial" in the subject line.
New! 13.10.09
The UK Film Council's Short Film Completion Fund is now open for applications. The Fund is a programme to enable
directors and producers to... "push their creative boundaries, develop new talent and to invest in short films
that illustrate unique ideas and innovative approaches". The Fund aims to support uncompleted short films that show outstanding potential —
but which lack the funds to finish. The total fund available for the Short Film Completion Fund 2009-2010 is £70,000.
The deadline for this call for applications is: 30th November 2009.
New! 12.10.09
Added to the Events list: Nicholas Corder, writer-in-residence for Stoke-on-Trent Libraries, is running a Screenwriting for Absolute Beginners day
at the Central Library in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. The date is Saturday 7th November 2009, and the day will run from 10am to 3.30pm.
Interested? Phone the Central Library to book on: 01782 238455.
Nicholas Corder will also be running a Writing Your Life Story day at Bentilee Library, in Stoke-on-Trent.
The date is Wednesday 25th November 2009, and the day will run from 10am to 3.30pm.
Interested? Please phone Bentilee Library to book on: 01782 231315.
New! 12.10.09
The Birmingham-based Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is to give grants to museums across the UK, to fund 25 x
Creative Apprenticeship awards.
Designed to open up young people's entry routes into work at public museums and galleries, the MLA's funding will provide £5,000 for each year of the apprentice's employment.
So far, the following Midlands museums are participating: Attingham Park Museum, Shrewsbury; New Art Gallery, Walsall; and Thinktank, Birmingham. For further information please contact either
Jennie Godsalve at Creative & Cultural Skills: jennie.godsalve@ccskills.org.uk
or Jessica Harris at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council: jessica.harris@mla.gov.uk
New! 12.10.09The Art of Geocaching (GX1X98A)
is a unique event to be held just north of Worcester (UK), on 17th October 2009. It aims to... "showcase the creative and artistic talents used in
geocaching."
New! 12.10.09
The Staffordshire Hoard now has an official information website, at www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk. The website has been created
by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and has information about the discoverers of the hoard, photos and videos, an archive of press statements and media commentary, and an online reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon village.
Those interested in reading more about Anglo-Saxon Mercia may be interested in this list of books on Amazon UK.
New! 11.10.09
Celine Siani Djiakoua has set up a weblog for her Longhouse
Action Research commission in Stoke-on-Trent, and has started looking at
empty shops in Longton...
"In my practice, I have started to challenge the use of the video camera by exploring the physical limits of its frame through performances.
With the Action Research Project, I would like to explore the use of projectors, surveillance cameras, video cameras, TV monitors and
different types of screens to offer interactive live video installations involving passing pedestrians. The piece would be shown through
the window of an empty shop."
New! 10.10.09Creative Arts North Staffs (CANS) are seeking artists / dancers / circus skills practitioners / event performers for a free Family Learning Event for people from the Stanfield housing estate
between Burslem and Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. Residents will be able to access services in education, employment and training, as well as advice on substance abuse,
teen pregnancy and healthy eating. A consultation film will be made on the day, which will provide services and agencies with much needed feedback from the community
and help to shape the strategies for future engagement. The event will be at Haywood Engineering College (High Lane, Burslem) on Thursday 29th October, from 12 noon to 4pm.
For more information please email Chris at CANS: creativeartsnorthstaffs@googlemail.com
New! 10.10.09
The UK Young Visual Arts Entrepreneur Award 2009 is now open for entries. Would you like to win a tour of the visual arts in India? Are you aged between 25 and 35,
entrepreneurial, and fit one of the following job descriptions in the visual arts sector:
a professional working in either a commercial or public-sector art gallery; an auctioneer; a visual arts publisher (magazines, books etc),
or a producer of communications or websites within the visual arts sector?
This competition will pick six finalists for the tour, and the winner will receive £5,000 for a collaborative project with creatives in India.
Application deadline: 21st October 2009. Full details at the website.
New! 10.10.09
£4.29 million of new loan funding was announced yesterday, for entrepreneurs and existing small and medium sized businesses (SME's) in the West Midlands. The funding
will be accessed via the Fair Finance Consortium, a group of West Midlands-based not-for-profit business lenders.
Loans of up to £50,000 will be available to successful applicants.
New! 10.10.09
Birmingham's First Light is running a Script Award Scheme for film projects.
The aim is to support partnerships between script professionals and young people, to inspire and aid the development of
short film scripts. Funding of up to £3,000 is available for:
* projects where young people aged 5 to 19 take creative control of the idea development process;
* projects that create scripts in any genre;
* projects that result in film scripts of up to 10 minutes in length;
* projects based in the UK, primarily involving young people who live in this country.
Ten per cent match-funding is required. Deadline: 13th October 2009
New! 10.10.09
Want to put on a show? The National Youth Theatre's online partner, IdeasTap, has launched its own funding scheme, aimed at helping 16 to 25-year-olds
realise their creative ideas in theatre, and it has £150,000 to offer each year. The Ideas Fund offers more than just financial support, with mentoring,
marketing and production advice to make sure the project has the best possible chance of succeeding. Funding applications can be up to £20,000, and begin at £1,000.
Young people can apply directly to this fund. Application deadline: 11th November 2009.
New! 10.10.09
Job: The Willows Primary School, in Stoke-on-Trent, is looking for a movement/dance practitioner to work within KS1, primarily the Year One pupils (5-6 years old),
to help deliver a Creative Partnerships project. You will be able to develop their movement work, with an emphasis on stimulus for writing, taking inspiration from and using the school's spacious
and fantastic grounds. The project's core questions is: "To what extent can movement and dance aid as a stimulus to writing at KS1?".
You will work with class teachers to plan, evaluate and deliver a visual, exciting and dynamic project to develop the curriculum, and also lead
professional development for staff, so that they can build on the project.
Planning will take place before Christmas, with the project running (to be confirmed) between 11th January - 30th March 2010.
The fee is negotiable, up to a maximum of £3,000.
For a full brief and how to apply please contact Robert Marsden: robert.marsden@hotmail.co.uk
New! 10.10.09
Job: Churchfields Primary School, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, are looking for a filmmaker or film production company to inspire children in Years 3 & 4.
You and the children will create a short film that reflects on their research into local history, developing their communication skills and curiosity for the real world.
Planning will take place before Christmas, with the project running from January until the end of March 2010.
There is £3,500 available to support the work to include practitioner fees, travel and any resources. Application deadline: 30th October 2009
For a full brief please contact Susanna Harding (Creative Agent) at: susie23harding@live.co.uk
New! 10.10.09
Congratulations to Keele University, which has obtained £400,000 of funding to team up with the New Vic Theatre's Education Department, the New Vic Theatre Archive,
and older people living in North Staffordshire. The project – which begins in October and runs until the end of July 2012 – will be a unique cross-disciplinary
study into ageing and the representation of ageing, that will lead to a new social documentary performance and exhibition.
Those interested in ageing in the UK may also be interested in the recent Baring Foundation report Ageing Artfully: Older People and Professional Participatory Arts in the UK (PDF link).
The Foundation also has a new development fund (PDF link) for arts organisations already producing arts made by older people.
New! 10.10.09
Keele University has approved a new Film Studies degree.
The new B.A. dual honours programme is now accepting applicants for an autumn 2010 start at Keele.
The degree is open to both students with and without prior Film Studies experience. More details at the web link.
New! 08.10.09
Artists from Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire have been invited to submit work for the annual Open exhibition at the
Keele University Art Gallery.
This is Keele's fourteenth Open show. First prize is £300, with a second prize of £100, and third prize of £50.
The Exhibition will run from 10th November to 16th December 2009.
"Bringing in days" for the exhibition are: 29th and 30th October 2009, between 10am and 4pm.
For more information please call Julie Kershaw on 01782 734169.
New! 08.10.09
Volunteer posts: Local unemployed graduates can gain up to six months of valuable work experience, via internships available from Keele University.
Intern Placements are available in a wide variety of fields including marketing, fundraising, web development, and business management.
Internships last between four weeks to six months, and the graduate may work for a maximum of 30 hours per week. The positions are unpaid
— but the graduate is eligible for Jobseekers Allowance and travel expenses throughout the scheme.
The scheme is open to newly qualified graduates who are struggling to find employment, and to those who graduated a while ago and are now faced with unemployment.
Applicants must live in the West Midlands to be eligible. For more information about the internships at Keele please e-mail: ecif@uso.keele.ac.uk
New! 08.10.09
Carl Plant has announced plans for a Stoke-on-Trent Social Media Surgery. Dates and venues are to be confirmed...
"We hope to organise regular meetings (preferably involving either coffee, beer and home made cakes) and to offer help to anyone
wishing to start a blog, website or any web related activity, or just to share ideas along the way."
New! 08.10.09
Volunteer posts: The urban design organisation Urban Vision North Staffordshire
is currently recruiting for two x part-time Project Assistant posts.
There are voluntary posts at 16 hours per week each, over a period of 6 to 12 months.
Travel and subsistence expenses incurred whilst on the business of the project will be reimbursed.
You'll mainly assist with the Visioning Longton Project and the "Longton Buzzes" arts projects.
You must have a good degree in a Built Environment, and/or Arts & Design subject.
Application deadline: 9th November 2009. For full details of these posts, please email Veronica Barbaro at:
veronica.barbaro@regenwm.org
New! 08.10.09B Arts are offering local creatives the chance to work alongside Martin Brockman —
a ceramicist, environmental artist, and installation artist — in advance of the second performance of Clay
in Burslem. Martin will be making sculptural kilns from 10th - 11th October 2009, at the Burslem School of Art. Interested?
Call B Arts on: 01782 717326.
New! 08.10.09
The Stoke-on-Trent D.J. School Association is running an Autumn Employment & Arts Training Program for adults.
Want to know how to record the songs you write and perform? Want to train to use state of the art decks and microphones?
Looking to set yourself up in business as an artist, street performer, D.J., M.C., rapper or amateur film maker?
Sessions cost £3 per person, regardless of how many are in your group or if you work on your own. They can arrange sessions
to suit your needs from Monday - Saturday, from 11am onwards. They can discuss when and how often you would like to come at enrolment.
Session lengths vary depending on what you need to do and how long you want to stay.
The courses are accredited by OCN. A D.J. can take basic, intermediate and advanced level OCN accredited certificates.
The School is also waiting for confirmation of the same for Drama and I.T. Other courses receive an OCN accredited Certificate of Completion.
Want to know more? Contact: info@djschool.org.uk
New! 08.10.09
Are your planning to run a project involving substantial intergenerational dialogue and exchange?
Stafford-based Pieces of Sky Photography is offering to document a public or
third-sector organisation's intergenerational project free of charge. The photographer will follow the project to produce a set of
high-resolution pictures, supplied to you on a disc, ready for printing or your website. Deadline for applications: 16th October 2009.
Interested? Contact Chris Smith at: info@piecesofsky.com
New! 08.10.09Simply Staffordshire is a local business offering short courses on green topics and countryside crafts, plus custom tours, in
the Staffordshire Peak District. They are based in Alton in the Staffordshire Moorlands, and are currently offering short courses in...
* Life Drawing on 9th to 11th Oct 2009
* Hedge Laying on 31st Oct to 1st of November 2009
* Quilting on 23rd January 2010
* Willow Weaving and Crafts
Interested? More information from: Emily Whitehead enquiries@simplystaffordshire.co.uk
New! 08.10.09
Job: Wolverhampton Arts & Museums Service is seeking to celebrate the rich industrial heritage of the Black Country
with a new range of limited edition, contemporary products developed by designers / makers, inspired by the historic
local collections. In the first round of this project, there are three commissions available, working to the strengths of: Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service;
Dudley Museum Service; and Walsall Museum Service. Each commissioned maker will design and produce (either themselves or in collaboration with a manufacturer)
a limited edition run of between 50 to 300 items. Each product will retail between £10 and £50 and will be sold in museum, gallery and heritage centre shops
run by the three local authorities. They also aim to use the Culture Label website to achieve global sales.
There is a one off fee of £5,000 for each commission. This covers the design fee and production of the limited edition run, (batch size to be
decided prior to contract agreement) as well as travel to the venues for meetings and to view the collection.
Interested? For a full brief and application form please email Natalie Cole at: natalie.cole@wolverhampton.gov.uk
New! 08.10.09
The 2012 London Olympics has today opened its Unlimited: Celebrating disability art and culture
programme to entries. This £1.5m arts programme aims to commission... "disabled and deaf artists, and disabled and deaf-led arts organisations, who wish to develop their work".
A variety of other official cultural projects around the 2012 London Olympics are also unveiled today,
but it seems that Unlimited is one of the few currently inviting applications.
New! 07.10.09Keele University has announced its free public Inuagural Lecture Series for the 2009/10 academic year.
The Inaugural Lectures are given by newly established professors within the University, and aim to give an illuminating account of the speaker's
subject specialism. All lectures start at 6pm in the Westminster Theatre. Admission is free; no ticket is required.
Lectures likely to be of interest to local creatives are:
Tuesday, 10th November 2009. Professor Karen Hunt, History: "Telling The Many Stories of Dora Montefiore (1851-1933): history and life-writing".
Wednesday, 12th May 2010. Professor David Shepherd, Cultural Theory: "The Theory of Culture and the Culture of Theory".
New! 07.10.09
Garden designers interested in the historical and local context of their profession may be interested to know that one of Keele's forthcoming
Short Courses for Adults
is a four-day course, starting on 16th January 2010, on Garden History: The People who Shaped our Gardens. This
will be followed by a 2010 summer school on Staffordshire's Historic Gardens (with visits).
New! 07.10.09
Job: Year 5 at Ridgeway Primary School, in Burntwood (near Cannock, Staffordshire), is looking for
a Creative Partner. You'll have special talent, energy, excellent teaching ability, and be child-friendly.
They have an available budget of £3,000, which includes practitioner fees and travel expenses — plus an additional
budget for resources to support the project. Deadline for applications: 16th October 2009.
For the full brief and further details, or to arrange to visit, e-mail: office@ridgeway.staffs.sch.uk
New! 07.10.09
Job: Packmoor Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent is seeking an environmental artist to work outdoors, as a Creative Partner
on the school's "Forever changing" project. The school has an available budget of £1,500, to include practitioner fees, travel and support resources.
Deadline for applications: 19th October 2009. For the full brief and further details, email: Carly Wright at cwright5@sgfl.org.uk
New! 07.10.09
Job: A Fundraising Consultant is required by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
You'll produce a practical and effective fundraising strategy for Cheshire West and Chester (CW&C)
arts and cultural organisations, including a specific action-plan for the Chester Mystery Plays.
Deadline for submissions: 23rd October 2009. Final strategy document delivered: end February 2010.
The total fee (inclusive of expenses) is £7,000. For a full project brief please contact: emma.knight@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
New! 07.10.09
The FLIP Animation Festival in nearby Wolverhampton has just announced its three-day programme.
FLIP is offering an all-day Games Design Workshop (11am-4pm) — for just £5!
Run in conjunction with Wolverhampton University's new Institute of Gaming and Animation, you'll be introduced to the
free Microsoft Xbox XNA game production platform, a sophisticated production platform
for creating commercial videogames (PC and Xbox). Pre-booking is essential.
New! 06.10.09
Added to the Directory: Rachel Dormor Ceramics, based in Stoke-on-Trent. Rachel designs and makes
high-quality porcelain tableware. She recently visited the New York Gift Fair with the support of U.K. Trade & Investment, and has just signed a U.S. distribution deal.
Some of her work can be purchased online at MyDeco.
New! 06.10.09
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, is working on a future exhibition of digital art, set to go on display in 2011. They aim to work with local artists, and students,
and want to engage in a dialogue about the parameters of the exhibition. To start this, there's a new 'Leave No Trace: Erasing with digital media' blog about digital art,
at notrace.org.uk.
New! 06.10.09
Are you a romantic? For a forthcoming exhibition at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, there's a new blog at
romanticproposal.org.uk, where the Museum hopes people will contribute their stories of romance.
New! 06.10.09
Added to Creative Stoke's list of local blogs, on the Writing & Publishing page of the Directory:
The valley of lost things. It's the blog of the Digital Management Officer at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 06.10.09
The Axis Arts Centre at Alsager/Crewe has announced several show-related workshops that they are able to offer this Autumn...
On the 15th Oct Laila Diallo presents a Sense of SelfDance Workshop. This is a whole/half-day class & choreographic workshop that can be tailored
to suit different groups: dance professionals, students or amateurs, depending on what appears to be most appropriate.
On 29th October Proto-Type Theater presents: Virtuoso offering workshops in: i) Video Foley - age 15+ for all skill/experience levels, maximum
25 participants, 3-4 hours (longer version available), allowing students to explore the use of live video in
performance; ii) Writing Workshop: Re-mapping the City – age 16+, all skill/experience levels, maximum 20 participants, 3-4 hours (longer version available).
Exploring the inspiration for Whisper, this workshop gives writers practical ideas and techniques for creating performative writing; iii)
Headphone Performance Workshop – age 15+, all skill/experience levels, maximum 25 participants, 4 hours (longer version available)
This workshop includes a primer on the creation of live sound effects using the film technique 'foley' and will see workshop participants creating their
own short performances; iv) Using Technology in Performance – age 18+ professional artists, maximum 15 participants, 6 hours
(shorter version available). This workshop looks at issues of using media in performance and explores techniques for using live feeds,
recorded video, screens, projections, televisions, the internet, etc.; v) How to Give Feedback – age 15+, all skill/experience levels, maximum
20 participants, 1.5 hours.
On 6th Nov the Backbeat Percussion Quartet can offer Composition Workshops with instruments and 'found' sounds.
To book an Axis workshop, or for more information, please contact Jodie Gibson on: 0161 247 5618.
New! 06.10.09
Kristina Niedderer (University of Wolverhampton) and Katherine Townsend (Nottingham Trent University) are planning a new
Midlands-based commercial academic journal called Craft Research. It will be devoted to... "the development and advance of contemporary craft practice and theory through research"
and published by subscription via Intellect Books. The editors are now welcoming contributions from new and established researchers, scholars, and professionals
who wish to make a contribution to advancing contemporary craft practice. This can be in the form of: Full Research Papers (4000 to 6000 words); Short Research Papers / Position Papers (2000 to 3000 words);
Craft & Industry Reports (1500 to 3000 words); Reviews (1000 to 2000 words) of
the work of an individual, scholarly reviews of exhibitions, of publications in print and new media, or reports from relevant conferences.
They are also eager to hear about events, for the journal's Calendar of Exhibitions & Conferences.
The journal will also have a "Remarkable Image Section", for which they invite the submission of hi-res images that are outstanding for their novelty, beauty, complexity,
simplicity, challenging nature, humour, humanity, etc., and that are in some way representative of contemporary crafts developments and research.
The first issue deadline is: 15th January 2010. For guidance, please contact the editors at: k.niedderer@wlv.ac.uk or katherine.townsend@ntu.ac.uk
New! 06.10.09
Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham have joined forces to launch an official appeal to the public, for funds to help keep the huge 1,500-item Staffordshire Hoard in the West Midlands.
Recently discovered by Terry Herbert in a Staffordshire field, the Hoard is a magnificent collection of Anglo-Saxon worked gold and silver, possibly made in Mercia circa the 7th Century. Sadly there's no online PayPal donation option yet, but details of how
to donate by cheque are online here.
The Hoard can be seen online on Flickr.
New! 06.10.09
Added to the Events list: Uttoxeter Home Hub is having a launch event on 20th November 2009 (10am-3pm), at the Uttoxeter Business Centre. The Home Hub will provide a
relaxed meeting space dedicated to small business owners who operate their businesses from home. Incubator workspace for mobile
business people, who also need ad hoc office space, will also be available. Be the first to see it as they go live! More details from:
gemmaw@enterprisesupport.org
New! 06.10.09
Barclays Bank is subsidising free places on Let's Talk Profit half-day marketing-oriented business workshops,
to be held in nearby Crewe (13th Oct 2009) and in Wolverhampton (19th Nov 2009). The normal ticket price is £225 per person. The events are aimed at
owner-managers who are trying to grow their businesses, and have been in business for over a year. Details at the website.
New! 06.10.09
Are you an academic researcher with an idea about how to turn outstanding research into a profitable business?
The Arts and Humanities Research Council's 2009 RCUK Business Plan Competition is an opportunity to take your ideas further.
There's a prize of £25,000 for the researchers who present
the most commercially viable business plan to a panel of experts.
All participants will receive commercialisation and business-planning training, which
equips them with the necessary skills, knowledge and support to find successful
routes to market – which is valuable even after and beyond the competition.
The plans submitted are expected to propose business ventures that in some way... "contribute to the economic, social or cultural wealth of the UK".
More details can be found at the website.
New! 06.10.09
Are you an idiot? Would you like to be? There's a unique Fool School weekend skills workshop happening at The ICC in Nottingham, titled "How To Be An Idiot".
No experience of clowning, foolishness or stupidity is needed to fully enjoy the workshop. The dates are 14th-15th November 2009. Cost: £65.
More information from: idiotschool@rock.com
New! 06.10.09
Members of the West Midlands Film Forum are challenging all West Midlands film-makers
with a Halloween Monster Movie Challenge. The challenge is to make a five to ten minute film that contain only monsters (NO humans!) by the 19th October 2009.
To enter the competition email: monstermoviechallenge@hotmail.com with your team name. They will then send you three lines of dialogue. One of which will must
be in your film, for it to be a valid entry (this is so they know it was made specifically for the competition). They will also send you a postal address to
send your entry (in English, widescreen 16:9 DVD) to. Submission is open now and the deadline is: 19th October 2009. More details from: monstermoviechallenge@hotmail.com or visit the
Facebook group.
New! 05.10.09
Do you make artists' books, chap-books, pamphlets, or other creative paper ephemera? Is it unprofitable for you to trek down to London to sell your work at the big fairs there?
The 4th Manchester Artists' Book Fair offers free admission
and has 40 stands. It'll happen on Saturday 7th November 2009. To check if any stands are still bookable, email: n.grant@mmu.ac.uk
New! 05.10.09
With the abundance of fine gardens and arboretums in North Staffordshire / South Cheshire, photographers may be interested in the Kew competition
International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009 . Deadline: 30th November 2009.
New! 05.10.09
The 2010 Queen's Awards for Enterprise are now open for entries. 15 Queen's Awards were won by firms from the West Midlands in April 2009.
These are the most prestigious British awards for business success, and are seen as the equivalent of a "company knighthood".
Entry is free, and open to any firm with two or more employees. The deadline for entries is: 2pm on 30th October 2009.
New! 05.10.09PaidContent:UK has a feature article and video interviews on the
Talk About Local unconference, held on Saturday at the Film Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.
Social Reporter has a variety of further YouTube video interviews with attendees at the event.
New! 05.10.09High Peak Community Arts, in the nearby Peak District, is
holding free arts & crafts workshops (5th to 20th October 2009) aimed at disabled adults, people with long term medical conditions and those
with mental health problems. Workshops include: Printing; Drama Games / Improvisation; Ceramics; Creative Writing; Create a Song in a Session!; and Felt Making.
Call Alison on 01663 744516 to book places. Transport is available to those who need it.
New! 05.10.09
The 10th Brilliantly Birmingham event is calling for contemporary jewellery work from new and emerging designer makers in the West Midlands.
The FLUX show, part of the Brilliantly Birmingham programme, will create exposure for the best of contemporary jewellery design — through
a high profile public selling event at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham city-centre.
You must be resident in the UK, and have graduated within the last five years. Participation in FLUX is by open submission and selection-panel.
Each application needs to be submitted with a £15 administration charge. Payment can be made by cheque, payable to: Birmingham City Council.
You can download a FLUX application pack (Word .doc).
Your final application should include the completed FLUX application form,
a copy of your recent C.V., along with 10 images of recent work (2004-2009). Submission deadline: 7th October 2009.
New! 05.10.09The Surface Gallery in Nottingham is staging its Annual Postcard Show, 5th to 18th December 2009. Surface is now inviting artists
to submit work — which must fit within the dimensions of a standard 6" x 4" postcard. There is a fee of £10 per entry. All submitted work must be unframed and accompanied with
a completed application form (Word .doc). Deadline for submissions: 30th November 2009.
New! 05.10.09
Jobs: In nearby Derby there's a new performing arts organisation called Derby Live. They now have vacancies for a full-time Stage Manager
and a full-time Head of Wardrobe.
New! 04.10.09
Added to the Directory: Blue Butterfly Flooring is a new business run by Stoke-on-Trent artist
Emily Campbell. Her firm offers bespoke or stock photographic images transfered onto vinyl flooring — for stunning fantasy effects in nurseries,
bedrooms, schools, and youth clubs.
New! 04.10.09
The WMRO is inviting West Midlands firms, active in the cultural and heritage sector, to complete a mid-recession survey.
Details, and a link to the survey, are available here.
New! 04.10.09
Added to the Directory: 3 Monkeys No Banana is a fresh new advertising agency in North Staffordshire,
based at the Business Village at Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 03.10.09
Added to the Events list: Interesting in tendering to deliver services to the 2012 London Olympics, via the central CompeteFor portal?
North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce is holding a free information workshop and networking event on 14th October 2009. It'll be at Port Vale F.C., from 9.30am to 12.30pm,
and will be followed by a buffet networking lunch. It's aimed at small and medium-sized businesses in the North Staffordshire and Stafford area.
Speakers will include Olympic tendering expert Phil Gray.
New! 03.10.09
Added to the Events list: Build Up North Staffordshire (BUNS) is set to launch a new free business support network for local creative firms.
Formerly focussed only on the local construction industry and regeneration contracts, their website says that the BUNS scheme is now being expanded and...
"will provide major networking and future business opportunities for companies in the Creative industry."
There will apparently be a list of pre-qualified local suppliers, free business support, and... "the opportunity to network with a wide range of decision makers
from local businesses". The launch will take place at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday 22nd October (8am to 12.30pm). Places are limited, so please
book your place online or by emailing: ann.steele@nscci.co.uk
New! 03.10.09
Added to Creative Stoke's list of local blogs, on the Writing & Publishing page of the Directory:
David Elks, the blog of a young Sentinel journalist.
New! 03.10.09
Job: Theatre Cats is a stage school which opened in the Burton-on-Trent area in Staffordshire in January 2008. They require
a freelance teacher to deliver performing arts classes in nearby Uttoxeter (£10 - £12 per hour depending on age and experience).
Theatre Cats currently offers classes to children aged 5-16, however, the aim is to also introduce classes for 2-5 year olds.
You must be comfortable in teaching drama, movement and musical theatre. The children take examinations in Trinity, and so
they will also need to be coached in this. Candidates will be invited to teach a 15 minute class prepared by the candidate
which will then be followed by an interview. The classes were established in September 2009, and run on Friday evenings in Uttoxeter
during term time. Hours are 5-9pm. Interested? Contact Theatre Cats on 0845 003 8230 or email: info@theatrecats.co.uk
New! 02.10.09
If you are a West Midlands youth worker, teacher, or musician and working with young people with learning difficulties, special needs, or physical
disabilities, then MusicLeader West Midlands and Youth Music are offering a chance to discover the Patrick Music and Multimedia Studio
at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and learn more about the use of technology. The event takes place on 16th November 2009 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
Interested? Please email: west-midlands@musicleader.net
New! 02.10.09
Development funding has become available from European funding agency Media Desk, for the... "development of single projects or slates of projects" in "fiction, creative documentary or animation."
They have £15.5m of taxpayer's money to spend, and can give grants of roughly £9,000 to £55,000, with the exception of
development of animation feature-length projects for cinema release — for which a maximum of 80,000 Euros is available. Note this scheme is intended to fund the development of
projects, not the actual production. It is aimed at reputable independent production companies who have produced at least one
previous project which has been distributed recently, and who hold at least 50% of the IP rights to the project. Check your eligibility here.
There is also a separate 2 million Euro funding scheme for the Development of Interactive Projects.
New! 01.10.09
Added to the Directory: Grace Han is a freelance graphic designer, web designer, and illustrator based in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Grace graduated from Staffordshire University last year, and has been freelancing since this summer.
New! 01.10.09
The Ceramic Industry Forum (CIF) and Birmingham City University have jointly launched the £2.6m New Pathways Project,
to encourage collaboration, innovation and diversification in the interiors and lifestyle market. The project was launched a few days ago at the Wedgwood Museum
in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, and it will give businesses access to free expert advice intended to help them unlock
new overseas markets in interiors and lifestyle, or explore new innovative technologies.
The Project has been made possible by a £1.5 million grant from Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands
and a further £1.1 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund — which will fund the project for the next three years.
Firms interested in finding out more about the initiative should contact the Ceramics Industry Forum in the first instance on 01782 415210 or e-mail: bernie@ciflean.co.uk
New! 01.10.09
Job: Gladstone Primary School, located in Sandford Hill, Stoke-on-Trent, need a "wow factor" Creative Partner for their Flashpoint of Creation arts project.
You could be from any specialist discipline, and you will work alongside and support the school in developing the pupils' love of writing and
learning — through creative and innovative approaches. The project will be planned in the school during Nov/Dec 2009, and the project will
start in Spring 2010. Budget available: There is £3000 available to support the work to include practitioner fees, travel and any resources.
Deadline: 12 noon on 21st October 2009. Interested? For a full brief please contact: Sharon Ayres, Creative Agent at: sharonayres@msn.com. Please use the email
subject header "GLADSTONE Brief".
New! 01.10.09
Do you know of a creative product currently being made in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent? If so, the
Made in Longton project would like to hear from you...
"The project will gather products Made In Longton, along with related stories of the people who made them. These will then be displayed in a
key location in the town centre to form a unique exhibition. All the collected information will also be published online. We will soon start collecting.
The product can be anything but it must have been made within the area of Longton. People must also provide a brief description of the item
and explain what it means to them, along with a photograph of the people who made it."
You can either contact them via the Facebook wall, or by emailing a picture of your Made In Longton item to: info@amenityspace.co.uk
Also happening in Longton are Urban Vision's "Longton Buzzes" artist commissions, which includes an eight-week residency by textile artist Rachel Grant
in Longton Indoor Market (from 30th Sept), and a forthcoming Longton Festival of Pastimes. More details from Urban Vision.
New! 01.10.09
Free tickets! B Arts are presenting a second staging of their "Clay" outdoor
site specific performance in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, on 16th and 17th October 2009 (7pm). The shows are free, and you can reserve tickets from: clay@pandaemonium.biz
"Clay" in Burslem, Feb 2008. Photo: Liz & Mishka.
Clay will be preceded by public creative writing, lantern-making, and textiles workshops. Contact the organisers for details of these.
New! 01.10.09
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council are offering access to grants of up to £1,200
to help stage creative events or projects in the community. These grants are available to arts and community groups (not to individual artists) that are planning
creative activities within the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and for the benefit of the local community. They are particularly keen this year to receive
applications for projects which are dance, drama, visual arts, history or media/film based.
Applications can be sent in at any time, however the Grants Assessment Panel only meet four times during the year to determine the outcome
of grant requests. The next panel meeting is planned for early November 2009, so applications should be sent in by mid October 2009 at the latest, to be received in time.
For more information, contact Tina on: 01782 619 705.
New! 01.10.09
Job: Rage Arts are now casting for their 13th annual Christmas tour of primary schools throughout the West Midlands and surrounding areas. They need
lead actors to play the roles of Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana, as well as one versatile actor who can cover many roles in a single Arthurian production.
Director: Jennifer Rigby. Actors must have be local to the West Midlands, and be prepared to assist with get-ins and outs.
Deadline for submissions: Tuesday 13th October 2009. Auditions: Thursday 15th October in Birmingham.
Rehearsing in Birmingham from the 16th November. Touring from a Birmingham base to the West Midlands surrounding counties, with shows Monday to Saturday from
5th December to 19th December 2009. This is a profit share, with a guaranteed total fee of £300.
Interested? Apply by email with a covering letter to info@ragearts.org.uk with a photo attached.
New! 01.10.09
Added to the 'Spaces' page of the Directory: The new £10m Wedgwood Museum has opened a new
on-site conference suite at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. The 1930 sq.ft. events space can be used as a conference suite or a private dining area, and can take up to 150 people in 'theatre style'.
Delegates attending daytime events will have free entry to the museum's galleries, and staff can also provide guided tours of the attraction.
New! 01.10.09
Birmingham's annual Clothes Show Live event has announced a new Clothes Show Live Design Awards, aimed at young creatives aged between 13 and 25.
The Awards feature six different categories including Young Artist of the Year, Prom Award, Handbag Designer Award, Journalist of the Year
Award. Students are invited to enter their work from now until November 2009. The entries will be short listed by a judging panel made
up of industry experts, they will then be short-listed in November.
New! 01.10.09
Wolverhampton's Flip Animation Festival is offering animators free Portfolio Review Sessions, on 6th November 2009 at 4.30pm.
Flip introduced this review session last year, for the first time, and it went down very well. It's a great opportunity to have
your showreel reviewed by a panel of industry professionals, to get expert feedback, and open doors to new and valuable contacts.
The idea (and the catch!) is that you present your showreel to a panel in front of a live audience —
who also receive the benefit of the panels' wisdom. This offer is only open to animators based in the West Midlands.
Interested? contact Peter McLuskie at: peter@light-house.co.uk
New! 30.09.09
Creative Stoke has publicised the Artists Access to Art Colleges scheme many times. Have you been succesful in taking advantage of it?
If so, you may be interested to know that the scheme is now inviting all its artists to submit three images, and their story, to an online information bank. This will celebrate
the 10th anniversary of the scheme. Twenty of the best entries will be included in an ebook, which will be circulated widely. Deadline: 17th December 2009.
Send your submissions to: AA2A@wendymason.biz
New! 30.09.09
The Sculpture Show is planning a two-week outdoor show in Cheshire in 2010. They are now calling established, mid-career and emerging contemporary sculptors to suggest
weatherpoof, eye-catching and original sculpture. Deadline for applications: 20th December 2009. Please include your artist C.V., four to eight printed images
of your sculpture, an indication of size/price, and an SAE. Selection will be in early 2010. The address for submissions is:
The Retreat, 70 Scructon's Heath, Great Whitley, Worcester. WR6 6JA.
New! 30.09.09
Added to the Events listing: Talk About Local is an informal "unconference", hosted by Staffordshire University Faculty of Arts, Media & Design in
the Film Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent. It's an opportunity for discussions with those engaged in hyperlocal media production, and it happens on 3rd October 2009.
New! 30.09.09Digishorts is now open for submissions. Digishorts is a West Midlands scheme to support the production of six short digital films,
made by the freshest and most innovative new filmmaking talent in the West Midlands. You can apply for up to £10,000, and the
deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 9th November 2009. A Digishorts roadshow event is happening at the
MET Studio, Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford on 19th October 2009 (2pm - 4pm) and at the Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury
on 20th October (10am - 12 noon). To book a place on the roadshows, please contact Simon Flynn at: simon.flynn@screenwm.co.uk
New! 30.09.09
Susanne Burns and Sue Harrison have completed A Window on Dance (Word .doc) for the Arts Council.
Their report is a comprehensive survey of dance in England between 2004-2008, and will be of interest to all dance practitioners.
New! 30.09.09
Job: Staffordshire University require a Senior Lecturer in Creative and Cultural Enterprise.
Deadline: 14th October 2009.
New! 30.09.09
Gareth Mayer writes from Newcastle-under-Lyme, to say that he's in the process of writing a comedy B-movie about killer vegetables called Gross-ery. Gareth writes and
performs comedy, and has been on FX-TV and BBC 3. He's looking for people to help with behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Interested?
Contact Gareth at: gazmayer2003@hotmail.com
New! 30.09.09
Interested in Hollywood scriptwriting? The Artrix, in Bromsgrove near Birmingham is running a one-day workshop on 7th November 2009 (11am-5pm).
Run by writer and journalist James Bartlett, the day aims to give you industry information and tips that will make your script a more professional
and sellable product. Cost £50. For a ticket, call the Box Office on 01527 577330.
New! 30.09.09Sketchbooks in Schools has issued an open invitation to any adult who uses sketchbooks, illustrated notebooks or journals,
as an aid to thinking, working or dreaming. The Sketchbook in Schools website is aimed at primary-school aged children and teachers, and already features sketchbooks submitted by a variety of visual artists
(fine artists, illustrators, architect, animators etc). But now they would like to receive submissions from other areas of creative practice
(e.g. jewellery makers, crafts makers, set designers, games designers, furniture and fashion designers etc), but also from other professions such as
poets and writers, chefs, to gardeners, to builders, woodworkers, and business managers.
Interested? Send an email to: info@accessart.org.uk , with the subject "Sketchbook Submission" as header. The email should contain: i) a brief outline of how your use of sketchbooks
(or journals) helps your thinking or approach; and ii) up to eight good-quality photos attached.
New! 27.09.09
Staffordshire University Futures Programme has gained funding that enables them to offer bursaries for the five-day Arts and Health Artist Professional Development Programme (APDP) in February 2010.
The bursaries enable the price to be reduced from £500 to £250. The deadline for applications is 30th October 2009.
Further information from Kate Gant at: kate@creativityteam.co.uk
New! 27.09.09
Chris of Willow Arts is working with the Friends of Bradwell Wood (west of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent), and is putting on a second
woodland arts weekend. The weekend will offer free workshops and land art opportunities, and will run from 3rd - 4th October 2009.
New! 27.09.09Screen West Midlands and INNOMEDIA (a pilot European scheme to promote innovation in the audiovisual sectors)
are inviting West Midlands firms to participate in an international Enterprise Europe Network event specifically for digital media and ICT technologies -
Digital Media in Rome - on 18th October 2009. Attendance at Digital Media is free of charge, and all presentations and one-to-one meetings are in English.
Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs must be met by participating companies.
A subsidy of up to £200 per company (paid retrospectively) may be available if qualifying criteria are met.
Deadline to register your application: 2nd October 2009. For further information contact Alison Hawkins at: a.hawkins@birminghamchamber.org.uk
New! 26.09.09
Last Thursday the head of the Creative Advantage Fund announced a
new £1 million round of investment in the West Midlands creative industries.
CAF has so far invested over £1.3 million in small and medium sized enterprises in the creative economy. The Fund's objective is to bridge the "equity gap",
addressing the reluctance of banks to provide risk capital to small firms in the creative sector. The Fund is now actively seeking investment opportunities in our region,
in the range £75,000 to £150,000. Any small or medium-sized West Midlands creative industries firm, with a strong business proposition,
should contact the Creative Advantage Fund now at: enquiries@creativeadvantagefund.co.uk
New! 26.09.09
Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial has a... "limited number of bursaries available
upon application to cover full attendance as a conference delegate" to the Ceramic City: Design & The Public Realm conference (9th October 2009, with site visits on 10th October). To ask for a free place, please write a letter supporting your
application and explaining how the conference might benefit your continuing professional practice and send it as soon as possible to
Jeremy Hunt at Art & Architecture journal: editor@artandarchitecturejournal.com
New! 26.09.09
Job: Do you want to train as a BBC journalist? The BBC are looking for 15 exceptional people to train as... "the broadcast journalists of the future".
You'll be trained in online, TV and radio — via a mix of face to face sessions, online learning, and work placements around the British Isles.
The BBC pay you a salary, and you'll be mentored by a senior BBC journalist. Deadline: 7th October 2009. Interested? Full details are available here.
New! 25.09.09
Creative Stoke interviewee Dan Hopkins has just launched a new Vimeo channel online, showcasing ten years of his work.
New! 25.09.09
North Staffordshire's Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL, formerly Creative Partnerships) is seeking three consultants
to evaluate the Creative Partnerships Enquiry Schools programme in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
The work would be undertaken from March to May 2010, in approx. 60 hours. The fee is: £1375 – £1495.
Your main role will be to lead the "deep conversations" which are at the heart of the national Creative Partnerships evaluation model, with teachers,
young people, and creative partners involved in Enquiry School projects. Deadline for applications: 23rd October 2009.
Full details from: iain@picl.uk.com
There are also two new PiCL opportunities in education in Stoke-on-Trent:
1) Blackfriars Bucknall is a special needs F.E. college
in Stoke-on-Trent. Ten 17-year-olds at the college are seeking a creative practitioner or company to collaborate to develop a project
to explore ways of increasing our confidence and independence. They would like to include their parents on this journey.
Planning starts in November 2009, with projects being realised between January and March 2010.
Budget: £3,000. Application deadline: 14th October 2009. Full brief from: jonions@blackfriars.staffs.sch.uk
2) Moorpark Junior School in Burslem is seeking two creative practitioners (ideally a musician and a visual artist/designer) to work with Year 5 children
on a music and art based project. The project will be planned in the Autumn term and run during the Spring term of 2010.
Budget: £3,000. Application deadline: 19th October 2009. Full brief from: kharris@sgfl.org.uk
New! 25.09.09
Added to the Directory: Newcastle Operatic Society website.
New! 25.09.09
A Scriptwriting for Animation Workshop will be held on the 5th November 2009, 10am – 4pm, in nearby Wolverhampton. This one–day workshop, run by
Script and Animation Forum West Midlands, will explore the particularities of animation production and writing...
"leading to an individual 60 second script which will then be submitted to the Flip Animation Challenge with the opportunity to
be produced by animators in residence during the festival and screened on the final day of the FLIP festival.
The workshop is led by Myles McLeod, one half of BAFTA nominated The Brothers McLeod.
This 5 hour workshop will include: Creating characters; Three act structure; Scene structure; Getting inspired; Thinking animated; Taking criticism;
and Writing a 60 second script. Cost: £25 (£20).
Tickets for the workshop available now from the Light House box office.
New! 25.09.09Henry Hemming, author of the recent In Search of the English Eccentric, is writing a new book on the wealth of
voluntary independent clubs, informal groups, and societies that exist throughout the British Isles. The research for the book, which will be titled Club and published in
Spring 2011, has been going on since early 2008. All clubs and societies will be gratefully acknowledged in the book. The survey takes around two minutes and may be completed by visiting the website.
New! 25.09.09
Job: The innovative Flatpack Festival is set to happen 23rd-28th March 2010
in Birmingham, and the organisers are currently seeking a Festival Coordinator. Deadline: 28th Sept 09.
Flatpack Festival is also currently seeking submissions of exciting short films to be shown at the 2010 festival. Deadline: 4th December 09.
New! 24.09.09
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Friends of Parrot's Drumble are looking for an artist to create a minimum of six seats or interactive sculptures
in a woodland setting. It is expected that the project will begin in late autumn/winter 2009, and be completed no later than May 2010.
Fee: £6,000 to include V.A.T., all expenses, materials, planning meetings, community workshops, studio time, delivery and installation on site.
Deadline for expression of interest: 25th September 2009. Full details are available at Creative Remedies.
New! 24.09.09
Added to the Directory: Education Arts Service West Midlands is a new website and a...
"new, free, regional resource supporting arts and cultural learning for children and young people, both in and out of school"
New! 13.09.09
Sarah Nadin, Clare Reynolds and Paul Rogerson are about to embark on a new Lottery-funded visual arts, dance and music project.
The project, titled re:mind, aims to gather the thoughts, feelings and memories of Stoke Town (not the city of Stoke-on-Trent),
to then generate a one off performance / installation in the centre of Stoke Town. The group are looking for memories and ideas, which
you can contribute here.
New! 13.09.09
Advance news of a forthcoming Social Networking in Cyberspace Conference, to be held at The Light House in nearby Wolverhampton.
The date for your diary is 23rd April 2010. More details at the website.
New! 12.09.09
The Nantwich Theatre Project is launched today. The Nantwich Players are planning to develop their theatre into a refurbished 120-seat 21st century venue and to make it a major asset to the town.
The aim is to raise £500,000 to do this, and they have already raised £90,000 and engaged architects Bower Edleston. Can you help them raise some of the rest of the required money?
Contact the Project via the Nantwich Players website.
New! 12.09.09
Screen West Midlands require a consultant to be part of a team producing a report
evaluating the region's capabilities in the production and post-production of major TV and film productions. Deadline: 25th September 2009. More details
at the website.
New! 12.09.09
Now that we have a huge Tesco superstore set to be built in the city-centre of Stoke-on-Trent, it seems pertinent to mention the
Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards.
Community and voluntary groups can apply for grants of between £500 and £4,000,
to work with elderly people and those with disabilities. The Trustees
can also consider larger grants ranging between £4,000 and £25,000. Deadline: 30th September 2009.
New! 12.09.09
The BBC Performing Arts Fund has launched Choral Ambition, a new fund for choirs across the British Isles.
The fund is for adult or youth choirs of any type. The maximum grant is £5,000, the minimum is £500. The grant can be used for commissioning new music, training and
development, masterclasses, workshops and projects to attract new members. Deadline: 30th October 2009.
New! 12.09.09
Keele University has its Autumn list of continuing education courses online. Keele is
running a variety of courses starting in September 09, including:—
* Exploring Creative Writing (course code: ENG-1C027) at Trinity Church, in the town of Stafford. The course
will run on Monday afternoons from 1.15pm to 3.15pm. Interested? Email: enquiries@cpe.keele.ac.uk
* Towards the Novel: a novel-writing course (course code: ENG-1C029) at the Chancellor's Building, on the campus of Keele University.
The course will run on Thursdays 10am to 12 noon. Interested? Contact the tutor, Philip Emery on 01782 733436.
Other, more academic short courses include: Art and Architecture from Bomberg to Bauhaus; and Religion and Ritual in the Roman World.
New! 11.09.09
Added to the Directory: Introspective, the website of North Staffordshire-based graphic artist Chris Twigg, who
has worked on a variety of recent local regeneration projects.
Picture by Chris Twigg, from "Feel The Feeling", a consultation on regeneration in Stoke-on-Trent. March 2009.New! 11.09.09
Would your creative industries company benefit from a trade trip to Seattle, home of Microsoft and countless other innovative and successful companies? Screen West Midlands are offering
A Heart of England Trade Mission to Seattle
from 16th to 18th November 2009. Deadline: 30th September 2009.
Screen West Midlands are also inviting application for the 2010 visit to SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas.
Deadline: 25th September 2009
New! 11.09.09
Formerly funded by the now-defunct Digital Central, the Animation Forum West Midlands has just secured
another year of funding from Screen WM.
This means that the Forum will be able to run at least ten more events before September 2010. These free talks and screenings are held at The Light House in Wolverhampton (near the
train station, and just a short journey on the train from Stoke-on-Trent), which enables them to take advantage of the full-size cinema screens there.
Worth a visit! And if you're an animator seeking to have your work shown locally on the big screen, make enquiries soon.
New! 10.09.09The Brewhouse arts centre in nearby Burton-on-Trent is seeking crafts makers for a show just before Christmas, from 21st November to Saturday 19th December 2009.
Please provide images and a statement prior to the exhibition, in the first instance. Those selected would be expected to provide at least three pieces for the exhibition, and these should be packaged
to enable returning if needed. Any unsold work would be returned to the artist at the expense
of Arts East Staffs, and unsold work will be returned by 4th January 2010. Commission for each piece would be in the range of thirty to fourty per cent, and the artist would supply a list price they would
expect to be paid. Revenue from sold work will be paid within 28 days of the end date of the exhibition.
Works will be needed on site by Friday 13th November 2009, and any expenses will be covered on production of receipts and an invoice.
More information from Paul Challacombe, Arts Development Officer at: paul.challacombe@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 10.09.09
Added to the Directory: Sarah Nadin. A graduate in Graphic Arts, Sarah can provide graphic design, photography, and
community arts projects. Sarah is currently co-curating a 'Place, Space and Identity' arts project in Biddulph, Staffordshire Moorlands.
Sarah can combine, graphic, photographic and hand generated processes, and can work for either the private or public sectors. Sarah is based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 10.09.09
North Staffordshire's Barefoot Doctors arts and skills project have announced that they are planning a new monthly magazine...
"At the moment we see it as a special collectible, limited edition, publication for arts reviews, comment, poetry, journalistic articles, illustration,
photography etc... a beautiful thing to hold with real artistic value in itself. We will discuss this idea in more depth at the next Friday Surgery on September 25th 2009.
Please interact here on the blog in the meantime, comment with your thoughts and ideas. ... a monthly model looks the most sustainable and in terms of timescale,
it's probable we'd have a trial run produced by sometime in October."
More details at their blog post.
New! 10.09.09
Job: Are you a Qualified Music Teacher? A local Stoke-on-Trent secondary school needs you now, for an immediate start.
You'll work full-time, at an agency rate of £95 to £140 per day, teaching classes up to Key Stage 5.
More details from: Steve Smith on 0121 200 3224.
New! 10.09.09Design Conversations is a one-day conference in nearby Derby (easily accessible on the train from Stoke station). The conference will happen on 22nd September 2009,
and will be an opportunity for urban designers, regeneration professionals, property developers and decision makers to gather together and talk about the value of
good design in the urban environment. Speakers include: John Cadwallader - Chief Executive, Derby Cityscape on Regeneration & Consultation;
Kelvin Campbell - Director, Urban Initiatives on Masterplanning & Branding; Maggie Bolt - Director, Public Art South West on Public Art & Identity of Place;
Tim Stonor - Managing Director, Space Syntax on Street Design & Behavioural Patterns; and Ian Harris - Director, Maber Architects on Heritage Led Regeneration.
This is free event, so booking is essential. To book please email: udgeastmidlands@hotmail.co.uk
New! 10.09.09
Staffordshire Open Studios now has the 2010 Application Form online. The 2009 weekend dates are
19th/20th and 26th/27th September 09. Creative Stoke's slideshow of photographs from the 2008 Open
Studios can be found here.
New! 10.09.09
Manchester-based CUBE is inviting artists, architects and designers to submit work that responds to the theme of 'the urban built environment'.
Selected entries will be exhibited at CUBE, with the overall winner receiving a residency in the gallery in 2010 and £1000.
To apply please send a CD or DVD with a copies of your work (no more than six images, as Microsoft .PPT, or standard .JPG files.
Video submissions can also be accepted, but DVDs containing these these must play without problems in any standard DVD player.
There is a £15 submission fee for each application. Please send cheques or postal orders payable to the University of Salford.
Deadline: 2nd October 2009. The address for submissions is: CUBEOpen, 113-115 Portland Street, Manchester. M1 6DW.
New! 10.09.09
Are you a local festival organiser? You may be interested to know that the industry's major conference will be happening not far from North Staffs.
The Folk Industry and The Association of Festival Organisers Conference 2009
will happen from 20th - 22nd November 2009, at Eastwood Hall Conference Centre in Nottingham.
New! 09.09.09
Added to the Events listing: The Stoke-on-Trent Writing group are holding a Writers' Workshop Weekend
at the City Centre Library, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Three tutors (Emma Hardy, Nicholas Corder and Dinesh Allirajah) will be leading the weekend on 28th/29th November 2009, and
there will be around 12 workshops covering many aspects of writing — short stories, research, sense of place, poetry, etc. The weekend will cost £20.
You'll need an application form to register — please phone 01782 238455 for details.
New! 09.09.09
Job: The Trust of the new £10m Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston is inviting applications for the post of Volunteer
Gallery Assistant. You'll be given full training and, among other duties, will conduct
guided tours. The post is unpaid, but would suit anyone aiming for a career in the heritage
and museums industry. For more information, please contact manager June Bonell on: 01782 371911.
New! 09.09.09
Noted children's authors will be giving talks about their work at the
Stone Book Festival on 19th September 2009. The event will take place in marquees located along the High Street in the town from 10am to 4pm, and
among the authors are Malcolm Rose, Kath Langrish, Echo Freer, Susan Barnes, John Dougherty, Penny Dolan and Lydia Monks. Details of specific times
from: 01785 619740. Don't forget that
there's now a convenient new train service from Stoke-on-Trent to Stone station, to get you there.
New! 08.09.09
Do you attend a Staffordshire secondary school, and have you recently made a film at school?
The Staffordshire School Awards for Film (PDF link) is seeking
the best such film, one that shows strong links
to your school curriculum. Deadline: 30th October 2009, accompanied by the
entry form and supporting evidence. See the PDF file for more information.
New! 08.09.09
People Express are seeking an experienced children's storyteller to work in nearby rural South Derbyshire.
You'll be able to develop your own stories and work with other artists. The project will be delivered between September 2009 and February 2010.
The fee is £3,000 to work with three groups. Deadline: 18th September 2009. More details from: julie.batten@people-express.org.uk
New! 08.09.09
The Birmingham-based Craftspace organisation is running a women-only scheme which aims to develop a craft-based social enterprise
in the West Midlands. Taster sessions will be held during October, November and December 2009, to select the core group, and
will... "explore the theme of migrants travelling from their country of origin to a new community and the establishment of new roots".
There will be a joint exhibition of the work developed during the taster sessions.
Interested? You'll need to be able to commit to five days @ £200 per day plus materials. With 3.5 days of taster sessions, and
the remaining days used for planning and evaluation. Application deadline: 18th September 2009.
More details from Sue Hope, Craft Social Enterprise Manager at: s.hope@cip-uk.org.uk
New! 07.09.09
Creative Stoke has learned that Crewe's new £10m Contemporary Arts Centre, at the new Crewe Campus of MMU, will open
in October 2009. It replaces the Axis Theatre and similar facilities (1969-2009) at Alsager. Around 800 students and staff from the MMU's Contemporary
Arts Department will also move from the Alsager campus to the new £70m Crewe campus in September 2009.
New! 07.09.09
Those interested in the role of film and media in contributing to a sense-of-place in the Midlands and North
may be interested in the conference Projecting the Regions: People, Identity and Place. It will be held
on 17th September 2009 at Manchester Metropolitan University. This one-day multi-disciplinary conference aims to provide... "a rich
exploration of the relationships between place identities and the still and moving image". More information at the conference website.
New! 07.09.09
A dance event for Stoke-on-Trent, Raw Energy, will be held on Saturday 16th January 2010 at The Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent.
Raw Energy will be produced by Birmingham's DanceXchange, as a lead-in event for the national U.Dance England festival (1st-4th July 2010).
Applications for Raw Energy are invited from West Midlands groups, and dance pieces submitted should be no longer than six minutes in length.
Interested? Contact either Hannah White at Stoke-on-Trent Theatres: hannahwhite@theambassadors.com or
Preya Chauhan at DanceXchange: preya.chauhan@dancexchange.org.uk
The main U.Dance England 2010 Festival will take place in Birmingham from 1st-4th July 2010. It will include a three-night residential stay, a workshop/seminar programme and
a public dance performance on Sunday 4th July at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Birmingham's DanceXchange are supporting the event and their studios in the nearby Custard Factory
will be used for most of the classes and workshops. West Midlands dance troupes are also invited to apply for this main U.Dance England event. The deadline
for U.Dance applications is
30th November 2009.
New! 07.09.09
Job: Animators with recent professional experience are required as sessional Lecturers in Animation at the Stoke-on-Trent campus of
Staffordshire University, to teach on undergraduate degrees in 2D and 3D Animation and Visual Effects (VFX).
Expressions of interest, accompanied by a full C.V., should be sent to: Mr Chris Priestman, Programme Area Manager, Faculty of Arts,
Media and Design, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DE.
New! 07.09.09
Job: A part-time Lecturer in Scriptwriting (0.4) is required at the Stoke-on-Trent campus of
Staffordshire University. (ref: AMD08/21). Salary: £30,595 - £35,468 per annum pro rata.
The university is looking for a practicing scriptwriter who also has a passion for passing on their experience
to the aspiring creators of tomorrow's TV programmes and films. If you have a portfolio of recent scripts that
have been professionally produced for television, whether in drama or documentary, they are keen to hear from you.
Deadline: 25th September 2009. More detail from: jobs@staffs.ac.uk quoting reference AMD08/21.
New! 07.09.09
The Stoke-on-Trent Writing group has announced Autumn/Winter dates: the next meeting is on
Saturday 3rd October 2009 at the Bentilee Neighbourhood Centre. SToW meetings have also been booked for 7th November and 5th December 2009.
New! 05.09.09
The Uttoxeter Gate Way Commission is seeking a creative community artist or artists to consult (via workshops with Uttoxeter residents) to design and
to produce two focal-point feature pieces at the gateway to this Staffordshire town. Interested artists and organisations are requested to submit an
initial response to the brief, and the selection committee will shortlist and invite to interview. After this process a short list of artists would be
expected to develop their idea further and present this at interview for final selection.
You will have a proven track record in delivering public and community arts projects and will be an accomplished visual artist.
The budget for this Commission is in the region of £95,000 for two sites.
Please send your current C.V., a short proposed budget for the fee, current images of public artwork produced or managed.
Please give any details of your participatory arts experience and your initial response to the brief and two references.
Deadline for submissions: 5th October 2009. More information from Paul Challacombe at: paul.challacombe@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 05.09.09
The West Midlands Festival of New Theatre Work is offering a new commissioning opportunity for theatre companies from the West Midlands.
If chosen, you'll present your new work on the 12th November 2009 at Stan's Cafe in Birmingham.
Each company selected to present work will be paid £250 to cover their expenses.
Two of the programmed companies will then be chosen to receive a commission of £3,000 each from Midlands Arts Centre and Warwick Arts Centre,
to develop the work and to present it in its next stage, alongside a showcase of new performance work at Warwick Arts Centre in March 2010.
Deadline: 25th September 2009. More information from: ed@chinaplatetheatre.com
New! 05.09.09The Light House in nearby Wolverhampton (a short hop on the train from Stoke) has two training courses in
working with high-definition video, scheduled for October 2009. "Camera and Lighting with High Definition" is a two-day course on Mon 12th and Tues 13th October 2009.
"Post Production for High Definition" is on Mon 16th and Tues 17th October 2009. Courses cost £105 + VAT, with lunch included.
New! 05.09.09
The Performing Right Society Foundation has just announced that its Awards for New Works is now open to applications.
The Awards are open to constituted not-for-profit organisations, to oversee the commissioning and first performance of a
new adventurous and innovative musical work of the highest standard. Eligible applicants can apply for up to £15,000 towards the
commissioning process. Support is offered during the commissioning process. This includes the commission fee paid to the music creator, and the costs relating to
the first performance, including; fees to musicians; extra rehearsal costs; venue hire; and production of performance parts.
Deadline: 9th October 2009.
New! 04.09.09
Keele University is offering a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management — taught entirely on Saturdays.
The course is designed for the aspiring and practising manager who needs to acquire further skills and build their C.V.
Participants can take modules in: leading people; people, processes and operations; transformation and change; and managing finance,
as well as completing a course project. The certificate can be completed as either a full course or on a modular basis.
The next intake of students for the certificate will be in September. Further details can be
found at the website.
New! 04.09.09
Added to the Events listing: Are you a business seeking to fit strong design into your planning? The Design Council is running a free half-day Designing Demand workshop at the
new Wedgwood Museum on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, on 7th October 2009. Small to medium firms with up to 250 employees are eligible for support from the
Designing Demand scheme.
The event is free, and bookings are now being taken. Places are limited, so don't be late signing up!
New! 04.09.09
Those interested in the business of design may be interested in a new 2009 report Advancing by Design (PDF, 2Mb),
on.... "the role universities in the West Midlands have played [pre-recession] in promoting design amongst businesses". Commenting on the report in September 2009,
the British Design Innovation trade body scathingly noted that...
"The report acknowledges that these HE interventions have negligible tangible data to demonstrate financial outputs, knowledge transfer or student learning. Three years on, virtually all of the £88.6 million-backed initiatives have disbanded."
New! 04.09.09
The School of Architecture at Birmingham City University is calling for papers for a conference on "Urban Design Research: Method and Application" to be held on 3rd-4th December 2009.
The conference will focus on three subject areas: i) contemporary methods of urban design research; ii) the ways in which research results can be applied in practice; and
iii) case studies which show how research results were directly applied to contemporary practice. This conference will be accompanied by an exhibition on new urban design research projects, and the
application of research to real projects. 400 word English-language abstracts should be sent as Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files to:
andreas.wesener@bcu.ac.uk by 14th September 2009.
New! 03.09.09
Previously mentioned on Creative Stoke was Shout's Birmingham Queer Open Projection invite (18.08.09). Shout now has two more
opportunities for West Midlands artists...
1) Shout's 'Small Commissions' can offer £200 + a materials budget, for West Midlands artists to interpret the word "Desire" in any way they wish,
and in any art form. Proposals should be no more than 300 words, and be illustrated. Email to: davidviney@blgbt.org
2) 'Critical Portfolio Reviews' offers eight visual artists, working in the West Midlands and not in education, the opportunity
to have their work evaluated by Birmingham City University lecturers. More details from: davidviney@blgbt.org
New! 03.09.09
The Crafts Council is now inviting submissions for its Spark Plug Curator grants scheme. It offers
successful applicants a grant of £5,000 to research an ambitious, innovative and high-quality contemporary crafts
exhibition. The application deadline is: 2nd October 2009. More details from: a.campbell@craftscouncil.org.uk
New! 03.09.09
Added to the Events listing: "A Quantum Leap: How public art and culture adds value to regeneration" is a one-day
event at the Theatre Severn, in nearby Shrewsbury. The event will be on 8th October 2009, and will run from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
The day is for anyone interested in public / community arts, and regeneration.
For more information visit Shropshire Arts or call the box office on: 01743 281281.
New! 03.09.09
Added to the Directory: Orchard Studios, a new rural recording studio at Oakhanger, near Crewe.
New! 03.09.09Social Enterprise West Midlands is running a
"Growing your Social Enterprise"
two-day residential summer-school for those in the West Midlands. It's being held from 29th-30th September 2009, in Leamington Spa, and is
meant as a high-level event for business leaders, senior managers or directors, and aims to equip participants
with the knowledge and tools to develop and take forward business growth.
The cost is £200 per participant. Early booking
(form)
is advised as only 40 places are available (maximum of two people per firm).
New! 03.09.09
Is your school interested in The Artsmark award?
Artsmark is running two training days in Stafford in Autumn 2009, from 9.30am - 3.30pm.
The two training days are open to all schools in Staffordshire, except F.E. colleges and nurseries.
Schools may book for one or both events. The training will be led by Ken Gouge who is member of the Artsmark Project Team.
Part 1 will be an "Introduction & Overview" on 28th Sept 09 at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. Part 2 will be "Completing Application Forms" on
19th Oct 09 in Stafford, also at the Theatre. Cost is £139 per person. More information from: events@eiat.org
New! 03.09.09
'Playing With Convention: Devising Theatre' is a training day at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, on 5th September 2009.
The day is an opportunity for West Midlands script writers to consider how theatre can be developed and created through a non-scripted process.
Cost: £50 (£45 concessions). See the website for full details.
New! 03.09.09
Job: The AHRC is offering Fellowships of between £27,500 and £46,000 in the creative and performing arts.
The Fellowships in the Creative and Performing Arts scheme aims to support artists as postdoctoral
research fellows within a research environment in a British university.
Fellowships can be held for either two or three years full-time, or for five years at either 0.4 or 0.6 FTE.
Up to £40,000 may also be requested to support project costs that are essential for carrying out your research.
Deadline for applications is: 24th September 2009.
New! 03.09.09
Added to the Events listing: An Adult Drama Course is to be run at The Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent this autumn. Actor Sean O'Callaghan will run the classes.
The Autumn term classes start on 23rd September 2009, from 6pm to 8pm at The Victoria Hall
Attendance is required for ten weekly sessions, until 9th December 2009. There will be no sessions on either 30th September or 25th November.
The cost will be £75 per person, or £65 for concessions. More details from: johncoughlan@theambassadors.com
New! 03.09.09Radiate is a new training programme for recent arts graduates, providing the first step in professional development for
West Midlands artists interested in working with school children. Radiate is currently inviting
applications for the second intake of the scheme, for placements in the 2009–2010 school year.
Radiate defines the arts broadly, to include practices such as landscape gardeners or shoe designers.
See the website for more information and application details, or email: admin@radi8.info
New! 03.09.09
Stoke-on-Trent dance troupe FRONTLINEdance is working with Lenzflare on a new film project opportunity for young people
in Stoke-on-Trent. They're inviting local 5 to 19 year olds who would like to produce a film to come and find out more. Selected participants
will be guided by professionals to develop their own ideas, learn camera skills, film the content, act, move, dance, capture,
edit, produce music, design posters and sleeve covers, and will then screen the film(s) to invited guests at a Premiere event.
Films will also be screened around the nation! This project will be fully inclusive and is accessible to all abilities!
An introductory event will be held on Tuesday 8th September 2009, from 4pm - 5:30pm at FRONTLINEdance, Basement Studio 3, in the Burslem School of Art,
Queen Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. You will need to pre-register your attendance by calling 01782 826588, or email
admin@frontlinedance.org.uk Please provide your name and a contact number, and then turn up on Tuesday 8th September at
4pm! If you're interested but can't make the introductory event, then just email your details to: admin@frontlinedance.org.uk
explaining that you cannot make the event but would like to find out more.
New! 03.09.09
Job: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is seeking to commission an artist to paint a new wall-based mural on the theme of "minimising alcohol harm" in
Bridge St. subway. The subway is approximately 79 ft long and has a depth of 7.3 ft. The Council is also open to other types of artistic responses to the space.
The artist will work with a group of no more than 15 young people. It is envisaged that there would be up to 20
one-day workshops at £200 per day (£4,000 in total), to include all stages of the project, through to the
successful completion of project. They anticipate that the project will begin late September 2009 and would
be complete by January 2010. To submit your expressions of interest, please email or post your C.V., three to
five images of previous similar community arts projects you have been involved in, and an artists proposal,
explaining how you would respond to the theme and deliver the workshops and the end artwork. You will need
to demonstrate an awareness of appropriate health and safety considerations in your proposal, in
relation to situating art in outdoor spaces, and working in the winter. Deadline for expressions of interest: 14th September 2010.
Further information from Tina Ball at: tina.ball@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
New! 03.09.09
Down in South Staffordshire, the new Black Country Creative Advantage team are
looking for enthusiastic and curious activists and researchers, architects, artists, designers, and planners.
You'll participate in a seminar in November 2009 (PDF link)
to help launch the two-year Black Country Creative Advantage project, which will investigate how arts practices can relate to or impact on regeneration practices.
The exact date of the seminar will be arranged with selected participants. The project will cover travel and accommodation, and provide a flat
fee of £100 per participant. To apply, please complete and return the application form
(PDF link) along with your current C.V. and documentation of a maximum of three relevant projects, activities or writings by you. Deadline: 2nd October 2009.
New! 03.09.09
Do you have an idea for a simple persuasive viral video that would worm its way into the minds of millions of people across the British Isles?
Would you like to work with a team of experts and a full film crew to produced your viral video? The National Lottery want to see your idea for a film that shows...
"how Lottery funding has changed your life, or those in your community, for the better".
The judges will pick five finalists. These will be invited to pitch their idea on YouTube,
with the public voting or your filmed pitch. The idea with the most votes from the public will win.
Simply describe your one-minute viral video idea in 300 words or less, using the downloadable entry form.
The application deadline is: 14th September 2009.
New! 03.09.09
Would you like to curate a touring Hayward exhibition? On offer is £3,000 plus £1,000
for research and travel expenses. It may be a show you have never seen but would like to; there may be a theme or tendency in contemporary art and visual culture that
you think deserves to be explored in new ways. Simply describe your project in no more than 600 words, and accompany it with an initial list of artists and a selection of images.
Your exhibition will open in July 2010 and tour to, among others: the QUAD in Derby; the Oriel Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno; and the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum.
Application deadline: 21st September 2009. More details from: curatorialopen@southbankcentre.co.uk
New! 02.09.09
Fancy having your creative art or crafts showcased in a prominent corner show-window in the centre of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent?
Burslem's Barewindow Project will start in September 2009 and run until Febuary 2010, filling a window that has long been empty.
See the web page for further details. If you would like to be part of Barewindow and would like to discuss available
exhibition slots, please send your portfolio to: info@barewall.co.uk
New! 02.09.09
A new "creative hub" for our area, Creative Central, will have its official launch event at the Regent Theatre
in Hanley on 10th September 09.
New! 02.09.09Urban Vision North Staffordshire, the architectural and urban design organisation, is funding a series of
"Learning Journeys" from September 09 through to March 2010. The trips are aimed at artists interested in the role of art in urban regeneration.
Trips will be to:
Bristol (art and the public realm). Best practice visit: 22nd Sept. Knowledge exchange: 25th Sept.
Leicester (regeneration and culture). Best practice visit: 10th Nov. Knowledge exchange: 12th Nov.
Sheffield (public art strategy and delivery). Best practice visit: 16th Feb 2010. Knowledge exchange: 19th Feb 2010.
Glasgow (creative industries). Best practice visit: 30th-31st March 2010. Knowledge exchange: 6th April 2010.
To book a free place on the forthcoming trips, please contact Hannah Barter at: hannah.barter@uvns.org
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Stoke-on-Trent artist Joyce Iwaszko has a new website.
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Wow Digital Media are based in Biddulph,
and have provided.... "visual effects experts for Bond and Harry Potter, a leading 3D specialist and a full team of
animators utilising Maya and 3D studio Max, [and] a BAFTA award-winning post production, music and sound design team."
New! 02.09.09
Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial now has
the full programme online as a single file (PDF, 2.5Mb).
Along with the many exhibitions and installations, there are two events that will be of interest to professional artists and makers:
30th October 09 (10am - 4pm), 'Artists Into Industry Forum' day at the new Wedgwood Museum. Booking essential. Call 01782 371900 or email
mgmt@wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk The cost is not stated.
13th November 09 (10am - 1pm). 'Masterclass with Neil Brownsword' at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent. Booking essential. £7.50. More details from: 01782 237777.
Also, the price of a ticket to the conference on 9th - 10th October 09, Ceramic City: Design & The Public Realm, has been announced — £150.
New! 02.09.09
Wild Orchid Theatre is running a competition to find new short playlets to stage in its December production at Sharpe's Pottery Museum, in nearby Derbyshire.
Entrants must be from either the East or West Midlands. Your 15-minute script must have a Christmas theme, be light-hearted/humorous,
and be for a maximum of four actors. Entries should be emailed to: wildorchidtheatre@live.co.uk as a Microsoft Word (.doc) attachment, and must
include the name and address of the entrant. Deadline: 30th September 09.
New! 02.09.09
Photographers in North Staffordshire may like to take advantage of the forthcoming free Heritage Open Days (leaflet, PDF link)
in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
New! 02.09.09
Are you an amateur videogame developer in the West Midlands? Like to be a professional? Gamer Camp is a free
full-time intensive training course in Birmingham, running from 16th Nov to 11th Dec 09. You'll get one week of professional training in either game programming or interface design,
followed by three weeks of mentoring by Codemasters and Sega Racing Studio veteran Guy Wilday. Places are free but strictly limited to 12 (8 programmers and 4 user-experience designers).
The course is aimed at creating casual titles for Apple's iPhone. Application deadline: 11th September 2009. More details at the web page.
New! 02.09.09
Last mentioned on Creative Stoke just after the launch in February 09, your editor's personal project at JURN.org has since grown dramatically.
JURN is a specialist search-engine searching free "open access" online academic journals in the arts and humanities. At launch, some 950 journals
were indexed. Six months later, over 3,200 ejournals are now indexed.
There's also a new JURN directory of 2,000 selected titles (widescreen required).
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Art of Staffordshire is a new group website, featuring the work of
12 crafts makers and artists, most of whom participate in the annual Staffordshire Open Studios event.
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Dark Arts is an alternative model agency based in Stoke-on-Trent, run by photographer
and performance artist Asha Tank.
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Asha Tank is a performance artist based in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Katherine Edge, based in Stoke-on-Trent, offers hand-painted silk and silversmithing.
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Are you a local farmer who would like a portrait of your cows, set against a rural Staffordshire backdrop? Cow Pictures offers just that,
finely painted by local artist and educator Anthony Forster. Limited-edition prints are also available, as are paintings of your vintage tractors.
New! 02.09.09
Are you writing a novel? There's a new Staffordshire Novel Writing group on Facebook, part of the
National Novel Writing Month in November 09.
New! 02.09.09
The Nicholson Institute in the town of Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands, is seeking exhibition proposals from artists and groups for the 2010 and 2011 programme.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please contact Philip Haddoc at: philip.haddock@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Jennifer Byron is a photography graduate based in Stoke-on-Trent, with a primary interest in fashion photography.
Jennifer is able to create fresh model portfolios, or picture new and original ideas for a variety of purposes.
New! 02.09.09
Job: Shire Hall Gallery, in the county-town of Stafford,
is seeking an External Evaluator to examine the impact of their 2009-2011 exhibitions programme, and to develop a dynamic report with recommendations for development of new audiences.
It is expected that the work will be completed over a three-year period of commissioning, and will focus only on specific exhibitions.
Application deadline: 11th September 09. More details can be found here (Word .doc).
New! 02.09.09
There will be a series of artists' talks and demonstrations at Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery, as part of 'The Friends of the Staffordshire Artists' exhibition (12 Sept - 11th Oct 09).
Talks and demonstrations include:
Sat 12th September, 3–4pm: Angela Munslow / Discussing her artistic practice as a sculptor
Sat 19th September, 2–4pm: Rita Banks / Demonstrating using acrylics
Sat 3rd October, 2–4pm: Jean Byatt / Demonstrating painting using pastels
New! 02.09.09Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum & Art Gallery has a new selling exhibition area,
branded as "Gifted — Midlands' Makers" for contemporary design and crafts
from across the Midlands. The new gallery dimensions are: 14ft in length x 2½ft in width x 7½ft in height. All artwork must be available
for exhibition for a minimum duration of 12 weeks, and must be for sale. The Museum & Art Gallery applies its commission rate on all sales (25% + VAT).
If you are a designer or crafts maker interested in exhibiting with the Museum, please send up to five images of your work, an artists statement (if applicable) and creative
C.V. to Tina Ball at: tina.ball@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
Don't forget that (as previously mentioned on Creative Stoke) the Museum & Art Gallery also has their new 'The Hall Gallery', dedicated to showcasing the work of young and emerging artists.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum & Art Gallery is now accepting exhibition proposal forms (at foot of page) for this gallery, just mark your application with "Young & Emerging Artist".
Contact Tina Ball for more information at: tina.ball@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
New! 28.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial requires a range of volunteers for the 10-week festival which will run
from 3rd October to 13th December 09. All volunteers will be given induction and receive training. For more information, email rosie@britishceramicsbiennial.com
Interviews will take place from 9th September 09.
New! 27.08.09
Can you clog dance, morris dance, tell folk stories or sing, busk with accordion or flute, craft with fabrics, or demonstrate traditional crafts, etc? The nearby
Derby Traditional Music and Arts Festival
is seeking fringe events and traditional dance / crafts demonstrations, from 9th - 11th October 09. No payment is available, but if you put on a workshop
or invite donations after a demonstration you can keep the cash. For more information call: 01332 285425.
New! 27.08.09
The town of Stafford will host an event for those involved in delivering youth arts, on 14th September 09. This free information event will be held
at the Gatehouse Theatre, supported by the Staffordshire County Council's Arts and Museum Service, and the Youth Service.
Attendees will be able to hear from a variety of community arts practitioners about what works in projects that engage young people.
Sessions are available from 2pm-5pm and 6pm-9pm. Places are limited, and can be booked via Sarah Bonam at: sarah@lettinginthelight.org.uk
New! 27.08.09
Could you offer a young worker a job, if the job were to be supported by the Future Jobs Fund? GECKO, on behalf of the Fund, aims to
create 200 jobs in the Midlands with voluntary-sector creative, cultural, heritage and media organisations.
The Fund provides the wages (at least minimum wage, for 25 hours per week) and N.I., and may also include materials
and supervision for a period of six months. If you are interested in offering Future Jobs employment within your creative or cultural organisation, please call Nick Roberts at GECKO on:
01902 837402.
New! 27.08.09
Job: Local commercial radio station Signal Radio
is looking for a passionate Broadcast Journalist with a great voice and punchy writing skills to be part of the news team.
Deadline: 14th September 09. To request an application pack contact: jill.stanley@signalradio.com
New! 27.08.09
Many graduates and lecturers will be aware of Erasmus, the European exchange-scheme offering students a semester at another university. Now Erasmus has launched
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, a new and similar European exchange-scheme aimed at helping new entrepreneurs
acquire relevant skills for managing a small firm, by spending time working in a European country with an experienced entrepreneur. You're eligible
if you're firmly planning to set up your own business, or have started your own business within the last three years. More details
and application forms can be found at the website.
New! 26.08.09Advantage West Midlands is inviting enquiries from top venture-capital managers, to manage a new £45m business-support fund for the West Midlands.
The fund will offer around £300,000 per successful firm. It will be aimed at small businesses which find it difficult to access loans from more traditional sources —
such as creative industries firms, among others. Retail businesses are to be excluded from support. This new fund will replace a variety of current investment schemes (but not the Mercia Technology
Seed Fund and the Advantage Enterprise & Innovation Fund), most of which have now been closed after helping 200 businesses over the past decade.
The fund will be split into: early growth (£8m); growth equity (£9.2m), and a mezzanine fund (£9.2m). The European Regional Development Fund will help
match some funding, if the firm is located in a priority area (presumably including areas such as Stoke-on-Trent). The application deadline for fund managers
is: 16th September 09. The fund aims to make a profit, and there will be performance-related bonuses to fund managers.
New! 26.08.09
Crudgington Primary School, in nearby Telford, is seeking a drama practitioner and documentation assistant. The school has a
budget for the project of £2,900 (to include fees, travel and materials). Application deadline: 10th September 09. More details from: nickydupays@ukonline.co.uk
New! 26.08.09Gladstone Pottery Museum, in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, is seeking casual crafts demonstrators, in the following
areas of ceramics production: Throwers; Hand Painters; Flower Makers; and Casters. Pay is £6.91 per hour. Vacancies are available on a rolling basis and have no closing date.
Applications will be accepted at any time.
New! 26.08.09
The New Art Gallery Walsall is inviting proposals from disabled artists in the West Midlands, for its Outside IN scheme.
On offer is the chance to develop your art over one year, with the aid of £5,000 plus expenses & materials, and in partnership with the gallery and its audiences. Artist will have access to the Artists' Studio in Walsall, and will
potentially contribute to the gallery's events programme.
New! 24.08.09
The organisers of the Birmingham Black International Film Festival 2009 are calling for film submissions from black film-makers in the West Midlands.
Film types that are acceptable are: Short Films, First Features, Documentaries, Music Video. Selected films will be screened throughout the festival in October and November.
Deadline: 26th September 09. More information from Ashley Simmons at: ashley@vtelevision.co.uk
New! 24.08.09
Many in and around Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, will remember the dapper Derek Bradbury. Derek owned and ran the
scrupulously-presented antiques centre opposite Ceramica. Sadly Derek died in March 2009, on his 67th birthday. Derek's shop is now closed,
and his enormous and discriminating personal collection of fine ceramics, much of it locally acquired and locally made, is to be auctioned off by Peter Wilson in Nantwich
on 10th September 09. For more information about the auction contact 01270 623878 or email auctions@peterwilson.co.uk
New! 23.08.09
News from Maggie Lackey of Manchester-based Actors Centre North. Their popular training workshops will resume again in the
Midlands in Autumn 09, thanks to a grant from the Equity Charitable Trust. The programme is not yet in place, so there is still time to send in suggestions
for training needs and likely trainers. More information from: info@actorscentrenorth.com
New! 23.08.09
The Arts Marketing Association is running a one-day training event in Birmingham, designed to help
West Midlands visual arts organisations with collecting, analysing and interpreting
audience data, and offers guidance on how to use it to inform strategic planning.
The day will be on 4th November 09 at the C.B.S.O. Centre in Birmingham, and will cost
£65 + VAT per person. More details from Emma at: emma@a-m-a.co.uk
New! 23.08.09
Staffordshire University will host a conference on "Women's Life and Leisure in the Twentieth Century", with a special focus on the Midlands region.
Obviously the media and the arts may feature as one aspect of the discussion. The conference will be held at the Stoke-on-Trent campus on 21st November 09.
More details from Maggie Andrews at: m.r.andrews@staffs.ac.uk
New! 22.08.09
Newcastle-under-Lyme Camera Club starts its Autumn season on 14th September 09, at Merrial Street in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Everyone is welcome, and the meeting starts from 7pm. For more information phone: 01782 613069.
New! 21.08.09
Added to the Events list: Are you a North Staffordshire firm interested in participating in social networking websites, to develop your business? Learn more at a free breakfast seminar
at Keele University Science and Business Park. The speakers will be: Kevin Holdridge, MD of Science Park-based internet company Kent House;
Linda Jones, MD of local P.R. agency Passionate Media; and Keele University's media and communications officer Hannah Hiles.
This free event will be held in the new Ballroom in Keele Hall on 9th September 2009. A full English breakfast will be available from 8am, ahead of the seminar which will start
at 8.30am. Early registration is recommended. To reserve your place, please email: events@kusbp.com to register.
New! 21.08.09
All the external web links in the Directory have been checked for viability. The following dead/domain-jacked links have been removed from the Directory:-
Fired Up Marketing; George F. Holden; Association for Ceramic Training and Development; City of Stoke-on-Trent Male Voice Choir;
the Media & Communications Centre website at Keele University; Red Workshop (crafts); and Fulmination Records. If anyone knows the new online whereabouts of these websites, please contact Creative Stoke.
New! 21.08.09
Keele University is now inviting enquiries for its Bellringing courses in Summer 2010.
These short courses are designed for ringers who already have some, possibly limited, experience of
change ringing and who are keen to improve their method ringing and striking. Special emphasis will also be given to the development of students' listening skills.
New! 21.08.09
There's a new Midlands Federation of Museums and Art Galleries.
New! 21.08.09
Local university student Simon Ward is seeking the help of a local ceramics firm. Can you supply Simon with bisque dinner-plates at a very low subsidised rate, for a student art project?
In exchange for placement of your firm's name and logo, and possible media coverage when the art project is realised? Please contact Simon at: simon.p.ward@talk21.com
New! 21.08.09
Job: The Light House media centre, in nearby Wolverhampton, needs two Events Researchers. The
posts are unpaid and so might suit those who are currently unemployed. There are two strands of research, to be completed by December 2009 —
'Alternative Screen Content', and 'New Markets within the Facility Hire Sector'. Researching these will
involve qualitative & quantitative data collection and analysis, leading to and the production of a 3,000-word
report for each subject. Your reports will be used as a foundation to increase the entertainment and facility hire income opportunities at The Light House.
Each research task will take no longer than eight weeks, approx seven hours per week. Progress meetings will take place every two weeks.
Candidates are requested to email a statement of 300 words (maximum) explaining why they want the position, along with an up-to-date C.V., to Kimberly Forlini-Softley,
Light House Administrator. More information from: kimberly@light-house.co.uk Application deadline: 4th September 09, for interviews on 25th September 09.
New! 21.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent film-maker and musician Jon Aldersea has established a YouTube channel for his videos. The latest July 09
addition is his recent video The Canal Key, a film funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund and coordinated by Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 20.08.09Staffordshire University has two Open Days in Stoke-on-Trent
coming up soon, on Saturday 22nd August 09 and Thursday 27th August 09, offering talks and tours related to the many creative degree courses at the Stoke campus. The
programme can be downloaded here (PDF file).
New! 20.08.09
Cheshire East Council is offering arts grants to voluntary organisations in the Congleton area, to engage the services of professional artists
to run community arts workshops. Up to £300 is on offer. Deadline: 28th August 09.
New! 20.08.09The Genesis Centre is a new serviced office development for start-ups and small businesses in North Staffordshire, located at
Chatterley Valley near Tunstall. The Centre opens in August 09 and currently has 'Reroot' business relocation grants on offer, offering up to £25,000 to cover up to 50% of the
costs of relocating your business within North Staffordshire.
New! 20.08.09West Midlands Graduate Internships launched on 13th July 09. The Advantage West Midlands
-supported scheme aims to find 250 internship places in suitable West Midlands firms, for unemployed students who graduated this summer. See the website for full details.
New! 20.08.09
The 'Art in Empty Spaces' initiative, aiming to find innovative and creative ways to re-use empty High Street shops,
is now accepting applications.
Stoke-on-Trent has £52,000 to spend on the initiative.
New! 20.08.09
Birmingham-based First Light provides grants to groups of young people to produce short digital films. Several
strands of their Young Film Fund will be open for applications from 24th August 09.
New! 20.08.09
The Mix Mediabox scheme offers funding to community organisations,
offering between £5,000 - £20,000 for youth-led (13-19 year olds) media production projects promoting community cohesion.
Mix Mediabox opened for applications on 10th August 09.
New! 20.08.09
Derby Hospitals Foundation Trust is now seeking statements-of-interest from contemporary visual artists who would like to exhibit, sell and/or tender for commissions.
There is no deadline to statements-of-interest; however, many departments are keen at summer 09 to start their arts enhancement programs as soon as possible.
More information from: Juliet Cooper, Arts Coordinator at airartstoaidwellbeing@yahoo.co.uk
New! 20.08.09Digital Mentors is a two-year nationwide programme to 2011, funding community-based digital media production projects
in troubled areas of England such as Stoke-on-Trent. There will be one grant of up to £61,000, and 40 x £500 grants. More details at the website.
New! 20.08.09Stoke Cine and Video Society are joining with Stoke-on-Trent's Film Theatre
to present a 90-minute screening of the best films produced by Staffordshire University graduates in
2008/9. This is a free event on 16th September 09.
Sure to be a good networking and talent-spotting opportunity.
New! 20.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent's Film Theatre is putting on a freeseason of classic silent and early sound films this Autumn,
shown on a big screen as originally intended. Titles include: George Formby's No Limit (1935); James Cagney's The Public Enemy (1935); Hitchcock's Blackmail (1929);
and Keaton's The General (1926). This is in addition to the Staffordshire Film Archive programme of screenings
of vintage local documentary footage.
New! 20.08.09
Birmingham City Council now has an invitation to tender
online, for those capable of delivering a £100k "bold and inspiring public participatory programme" around Birmingham's 'Hello Digital' festival (formerly the Birmingham Film Festival), including
outreach to the rest of the West Midlands. Deadline: 1st September 09.
New! 20.08.09
Deadlines are coming up fast for two major young entrepreneur awards. The British Council's Young Entrepreneur of 2009 (21st Sept 09) which has a
specific focus on the visual arts; and the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009 (11th Sept 09).
New! 20.08.09
Added to the Directory: Craig Faulkner is a newly-qualified Certified Master Teacher in
Estill Voice Training, a training methods used in the West End theatre, on Broadway, at Covent Garden, and in pop and rock music. Now certified Estill training
is available here in Stoke-on-Trent, with Craig able to offer regular practice groups for anybody who has done at least a Level 1 course.
New! 20.08.09
The Traditional Vocations blog has the inspiring story of how a fine church was built 'from the ground up', and decorated by local people
in Stoke-on-Trent during the Great Depression, part of a wider wave of fine ceramic decoration of British churches
in the 20th century...
Carmel's research ... resulted in a booklet entitled The Forsyths at St Joseph's Church, Burslem.
It tells the incredible story of father and daughter artists joining forces with a priest and the local Member of Parliament to produce one of the
city's little-known treasures. ... it was paid for by subscription and congregation collection, and it was constructed by the hands of the unemployed
men of Burslem, brought together during a time of distress and mass unemployment ... and paid with a daily bowl of soup and a chunk of bread.
... St Joseph's rose from the ruins of an old pottery factory. Father Browne even got the men to demolish the potbank first as they daily got
stuck-in with pick and shovel. And as the church building grew, the newly appointed Burslem School of Art principal, Gordon Forsyth (1879-1952),
watched with interest, as did the newly-elected Burslem MP Andrew MacLaren. It was MacLaren who later suggested to Father Browne that because
the church had been built by Burslem's unemployed men, they should be the ones to decorate it ... He said they should be enrolled in the
School of Art so they could be taught the skills to make the stained-glass windows. Naturally there was no money to fund this notion
so MacLaren took his plan to Forsyth. Soon a free Saturday morning class at the Wedgwood Institute was up and running for 50 St. Joseph's parishioners."
There's no sign of the Forsyths at St Joseph booklet on the web, but once the Franciscans arrive to take over
the church (soon, according to the blog), doubtless they'll be having heritage
Open Days at which the booklet will be available for purchase.
If you're interested in church decoration in the area, North Staffs Decorative & Fine Arts Society
runs a church recording sub-group.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: North Staffs Decorative & Fine Arts Society.
The Society has a substantial series of trips and talks during 2009 and into 2010, including lectures on church architecture,
British sculpture parks, 19th Century American Art, and William Cavendish.
New! 19.08.09
Are you selling visual arts via an online showcase of your work? PhotoShelter has undertaken an in-depth 2009
survey of 500 buyers and websites, to figure out what buyers want in terms of website usability. I'm sure you can guess at least one result. A whopping 96% of potential buyers hate seeing Flash.
A free copy of the report is available by email.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Camila Prada / Vanila, a ceramic designer based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Michelle Saxon, an expert and highly-qualified crafts demonstrator based in based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Ieva Alksne, a ceramic maker based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Big Red Studio Animation, an animation provider based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Nic Winstanley, a freelance illustrator based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Alex Shimwell, a maker of ceramic Raku-type ware and based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Burslem Pottery.
Fine stoneware based on Burslem Pottery / Moorcroft classics, hand-painted by Tracy Bentley and her team. Commissions can also be undertaken.
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: Rob Pointon, a freelance artist based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 18.08.09
The people of Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to take part in a competition to design a logo to mark the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent.
The winner will have their design used on marketing material for 12 months, and be invited to the royal visit in March 2010.
The logo should be... "colourful with a clean and simple design that's representative of Stoke-on-Trent."
Deadline: 11th September 09. Entries should be sent to:
Tracey Harrison, PR and Communications Team, 4th Floor, Civic Centre, Stoke-on–Trent. ST4 1RN.
New! 18.08.09
Are you a British design-led firm hoping to break into the increasingly healthy Japanese market?
DesignUK and the British Embassy in Tokyo are organising a trade misson to Japan, on behalf of UK Trade & Investment.
There will be opportunities at Design Touch, the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO), as well as press interviews and company calls.
There may be the opportunity to take part in other networking events during Tokyo Designers Week.
For more details, contact Akiko Yanagisawa, Senior Commercial Officer for the British Embassy in Tokyo at: akiko.yanagisawa@fco.gov.uk
Deadline: 3rd September 09.
New! 18.08.09
Do you work for a museum, publically-funded gallery or cultural heritage institution in North Staffordshire? Intelligent Naivety: Commercial Opportunities for Museums and Culture Institutions
is a free downloadable booklet, recently launched in Birmingham at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The book is the brainchild of
David Gilbert, former managing director of both Currys and Waterstones. The 4Mb 40-page PDF booklet asks...
"How can over-stretched museums and cultural institutions recognise consumer needs, exceed consumer desires, and leverage a
sustainable source of income without wrecking the very special relationship they've created with their audiences?"
New! 18.08.09
The Birmingham Queer Open Projection is called for short-form light-art and projected-media art from artists in the West Midlands. There's a
£500 prize for the best 15-second projection. Works shown will be projected on the outside of major buildings in and around
Birmingham for one week in November 09. The theme this year is "Censored". All work will be considered.
Deadline: 30th September 09. Full details from: davidviney _at_ blgbt.org
New! 17.08.09
The Screen West Midlands Investment Fund is now inviting online applications for grants for film-related projects in the West Midlands. The Fund can invest
up to £500,000 in a project budget. Deadline: 28th August 09.
New! 17.08.09
A new art gallery at the refurbished and rebuilt Low Level Station in central Wolverhampton is calling for
potential exhibitors. With almost unlimited space along the original Brunel train track, all types of artwork can be accomodated
as long as you can get them there and out again! The first opportunity is for a two week exhibition from 25th Sept - 9th Oct 2009. Cost is
just £25! More details from Antoinette on: 07794 459330
New! 17.08.09
The annual Longhouse programme moves to Walsall in 2009, titled as "Interrogation". The project will...
"explore the impact that one artist (you) can make in one place, in one day." The programme, organised by Longhouse
and the New Art Gallery Walsall, working with lead artist Anna Francis, is designed to investigate the impact of
short, sharp interventions within the public realm. More information from: chloebrown@multistory.org.uk
Deadline: 28th August 09.
New! 15.08.09
The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has produced an excellent free A Guide To Sources Of Small Business Finance In The West Midlands (July 2009).
This detailed and concise 28-page guide has everything you need to know about current regional and specialist sources of funding for your small business.
The Guide is a long list to plough through, but perhaps of special note to local design-based firms is the Advantage Proof of Concept Fund.
This can offer successful applicants up to £30,000 to help with prototyping,
expert consultancy and the development of software for research. The scheme provides grants of up to 75 per cent of a project's cost, to a maximum of £30,000,
for universities and businesses to prove that their innovations may have significant economic potential. The Fund is "expecting to make more than 200 awards by
March 31st 2010", and is now accepting applications on a rolling basis.
New! 15.08.09
The Careers Centre at Staffordshire University is offering free one-day workshops for unemployed graduates (from any university).
The day aims to help you target and prepare for getting a graduate-level job. There are three possible Stoke-on-Trent dates:
* 30th September 09
* 28th October 09
* 11th November 09.
Interested? To book a place, please email: k.lally@staffs.ac.uk
New! 14.08.09
Self-employment is currently excluded when the National Office of Statistics examines how art & design courses create employment, despite the
ease of obtaining such data from tax returns. Official statistics and national arts support policies can be skewed as a result.
The Artists Information Company is currently attempting to take a 'snapshot' of self-employment after graduation, and are asking art & design graduates to complete
a one-minute online survey.
New! 14.08.09
The Keele University SPEED and EFS Business Schemes are recruiting potential entrepreneurs now, for an October 2009 start.
If you have a business idea and want to turn it into a profitable business in just one year, these part-time schemes can offer between £4,000 to £8,000
of seed-money to help you start your business, practical business training workshops, access to a desk at Keele's Incubation Unit, expert mentoring and opportunities
to network with other entrepreneurs and established businesses. A limited number of places are available on this programme. More information from
Dee Frankish, Research & Enterprise Services at: d.a.frankish@keele.ac.uk
New! 14.08.09
The UK's Young Design Entrepreneur Award 2009 is now open. Can you clearly demonstrate your design entrepreneurialism?
Either in your own business, or within your organisation or charity? Are you between 25 and 35, with at least three years of industry experience, and a UK resident?
If so, the Young Design Entrepreneur Award would like to hear from you. Those selected for interview will have the chance of exhibiting an example of their work at
the 100% design show in London. Finals will be offered the chance of an overseas tour. Deadline: 24th August 2009.
New! 14.08.09
Are you a entreprenurial new talent in fashion, furniture, hats, handbags, craft, cushions, silverware or ceramics?
The Best of British Design: Liberty's Open Call would like to hear from you.
Liberty's Open Call is an ongoing bid to recognise and support new and emerging British design talent, and is calling for all
potential designers and creative talents to come forward with their ideas. You'll be judged by a panel of experts comprising of the Liberty buying team, now headed by
ex-Bergdorf Goodman Senior V.P. Ed Burstell, alongside industry experts including top names from press and fashion retail.
But don't expect a Dragon's Den, it's a chance for new designers to get sympathetic and helpful advice from experts on how to nurture and develop their ideas.
The best designs will get the chance to have their products sold at Liberty, one of London's best-loved emporiums of style and design.
To register your interest send an email to: autumnopencall@liberty.co.uk
New! 14.08.09
The David Canter Memorial Fund is offering a Grant for Craft Artists (usually between £500 and £1,000) to those working in the crafts for special projects, travel
for specific research and for educational work. Awards are made every other year, each time focusing on a specific craft discipline. In 2010, the special focus will
be on paper, calligraphy and lettercutting. Applicants should have finished formal training, and be working full or part-time in the UK.
Examples of eligible costs include: setting up a workshop; buying equipment; research; and travel. The Fund does not have a website, but more information can be had from:
rachel.mackie@crafts.org.uk
New! 14.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial has announced it will administer a new £90,000 scheme,
offering support to three new start-up ceramic businesses. The Biennial organisers will also provide advice and help to the most exciting business propositions
coming from North Staffordshire's students and graduates, and help provide placements for artists at local ceramics businesses. Watch their
website for future details and application deadlines.
New! 14.08.09
The British Textile Society Conference and AGM will this year take place not
far from North Staffordshire, at the Macclesfield Museums & Heritage Centre on 25th - 27th September 09.
There will be a programme of lectures on: Art and Science; Craft and Industry; Ancient and Modern; East and West. There will be a visit to Leek to view
Leek Embroideries in the churches for which they were made, an opportunity to view sample books from Macclesfield Silk Museum's collection, and a
Macclesfield Pattern Books study session.
New! 14.08.09
The Staffordshire Open Studios event makes a welcome return in 2009. The 2009 weekend dates are
19th/20th and 26th/27th September 09. Creative Stoke's slideshow of photographs from the 2008 Open Studios can be found here.
New! 14.08.09
Mid-career designer makers who are interested in finding out about the Designer Maker West Midlands mentoring
programme "Future Forward 2", are invited to attend an afternoon meeting in central Birmingham on 10th September 2009 (4pm-6pm).
Three selected mid-career designer makers will have the opportunity to be mentored on a 1-to-1 basis by an arts professional,
to develop and showcase new work and access new market opportunities. At the meeting you'll be able to hear from three previous mentees:
metalsmith Cathy Miles; illustrator and metalsmith Melanie Tomlinson; and
textile artist Karina Thompson. Booking is essential, please email Natalie Cole at: info@designermakerwm.co.uk
by the 1st September 09.
New! 14.08.09
Are you a professional crafts maker? Concerned about the future of your craft? The first ever national skills review of the crafts sector has
been undertaken (2006-2009) and published (2009). As a result of the Craft Blueprint: A workforce Development Plan for Craft in the UK
report, craft employers and practitioners have agreed... "on a series of actions to address the urgent skills needs in traditional and contemporary crafts."
There is also a short film online about the report. The report identifies the need to...
* expand entry routes and diversify the workforce
* enhance leadership, professional development and business support
* review craft qualifications
* restore and reinvigorate craft education in schools
* raise the ambition of the sector
"evidence is now emerging of widespread cuts to local authority arts, culture and tourism budgets and/or small grant schemes. This coincides
with a reduced Advantage West Midlands budget and reduced availability of funding from private investment ... The number of
advertised cultural sector vacancies has dropped again in recent months to nearly half what it was during the same period last year."
The Advantage West Midlands cuts mentioned include schemes relevant to the creative industries in North Staffordshire: Business Brokers for High Growth (North Staffordshire);
Regional Advantage Creative Fund - Extension (North Staffordshire); and Skills Solutions for AWM Business Clusters (North Staffordshire).
Similar findings were also reported in a letter by the The Artists Information Company, published on 4th June 09 in The Guardian...
"Our research into artists' employment in 2008 shows an 81% reduction in volume of openly offered work in October to December –
63% fewer commissions, 95% fewer residencies and no academic jobs listed. Factoring in evidence from the first quarter of 2009
suggests the reduction in the value of paid work this year could be as high as 44%."
New! 14.08.09
The West Midlands-based 4iP Fund funds innovative public-service websites, games and mobile ventures. The deadline
for the Autumn 2009 'call for proposals' has recently been extended to midnight on 23rd August 09.
4iP are also involved in the UnLtd 4iP Awards, which will award up to £5,000 to help
UK individuals turn their innovative media project into a reality. More information at the UnLtd website.
4iP are also partnering with Polis to present a debate in Birmingham on 17th September 09 — "The myth of digital democracy".
New! 14.08.09
Are you an established West Midlands creative professional who needs to investigate the business opportunities offered by interactive media?
The Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE) at Coventry University is offering a new F2 Digital Creative Development programme,
aimed at forming new collaborative partnerships and developing new ideas. The programme will offer 25 creative practitioners
an intensive personal and project-development path, at the end of which they will be provided with opportunities to present
their new project ideas and prototypes to a panel of funding agencies, curators and commissioners. To apply, you must first attend the F2 Future Forum meeting
being held on 10th September 09... "to provide more information about the F2 goals, the Lab process and how to apply to the programme." Applications
will then be submitted online by 2nd October 09.
New! 14.08.09
If you're reading this from a little way north of North Staffordshire, and thus you count as being located in 'the North West',
you may be interested in the North West b.TWEEN TV Platform.
Pitch your idea for the future of TV to BBC Future Media Platforms to win an industry placement, and free attendance to a BBC training workshop.
Your idea will combine existing web and broadcast technologies to enhance the TV audience experience. The deadline is: 31st August 09.
New! 14.08.09
Now that browser-based and downloadable independent videogames are fashionable again, potential indie games developers / animators might like to look at
Lost Garden's excellent and detailed guide to exactly how the economics of Flash games work
(part one and part two)
in an age of abundant talent, abundant tools, and abundant games.
Or if your ambitions lie with tying yourself to the gaming consoles, Get in the Game grants
of £10,000 are on offer to create UK content for Sony's PlayStation Network. Sony will run a three-day pitch event
in Autumn 09, in collaboration with Pixel-Lab and Northwest Vision.
New! 14.08.09
The BBC and BAFTA have joined together to offer the chance to win £3,000 to make a TV programme and have it shown on BBC2.
You must be aged between 16 and 19. Submit your short programmes (less than five minutes in length) by 30th September 09. Focus in particular on editing, scriptwriting,
composing music, or direction of photography. Entries can be any genre. The eight winners, two in each category, will secure a bursary of £3000 to work
with professionals over a six month period to produce a new piece of work. See the website for full details. Deadline: 30th September 09.
New! 14.08.09
The Chartered Insititute of Marketing is holding four useful-sounding local talks soon.
Membership of the Institute is required in order to attend (contact Roger Foster on 07866 430585), but these four events look like they could justify the cost of an annual membership
on their own...
* 19th October 2009: Peter Walshe on "The Digital Consumer" in Wolverhampton.
* 27th October 2009: Paul Connor on "Marketing Performance Metrics" in Birmingham.
* 3rd November 2009: Keith Batchelor on "Customer Focus-Group Interviewing" in Crewe.
* 14th January 2010: Simon Harrop on "An Introduction to Multi-sensory Branding" in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 14.08.09
An interesting legal decision that you may have missed over the holidays.
Lord Justice Moore-Bick of the U.K. Court of Appeal ruled that a series of e-mails and phone calls were not sufficient to establish a business contract.
It seems that those who may have been relying on such things will now need to get a more formal
contract written or printed, and signed by both parties, at the conclusion of informal negotiations.
One can apparently still legally conclude a contract by phone and email, but only if "all
the qualities of a contract were present", presumably including valid electronic signatures. Freelancers and employees are still advised to
play safe and put "subject to contract" at the head of negotiation e-mails, to avoid accidently entering into a contract.
Seek qualified legal advice, if you think these matters might affect you or your business.
New! 14.08.09
Google are giving away free Google AdWords adverts to arts charities. The Google Grants UK beta programme supports organisations sharing Google's
philosophy of open community service in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts.
Designed for registered charities only, Google Grants UK provides free advertising on Google AdWords. Applications can be made at any time.
New! 14.08.09
The Live Work Network and Regen WM are holding a half-day masterclass on "Economic development and design: how to make 'live/work' really work",
on 14th October 09 in nearby Telford.
New! 14.08.09
Are you a West Midlands organisation looking for more information on major European Union Funding opportunities for the cultural sector?
EUCLID is running a Cultureuro Seminar on the subject, on 5th October 09. This half-day 10am - 1pm seminar costs £70 + VAT, and
will provide detailed information on the EU's Culture Programme, research & development programmes, Structural Funds, EUCLID 2009-2013, and possible new opportunities for rural areas from changes
to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budgets. The event will happen at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham City Centre. More information from the website or from: info@euclid.info
Also available from Europe — the European Social Fund (ESF) has a Community Grants programme which gives grants to local groups and voluntary-sector agencies to help them engage with
give basic skills training and employment opportunities to the unemployed. Grants range from £1,000 to £12,000. Deadline: 31st March 2010.
New! 14.08.09
Can't find funds for your arts project? The Elephant Trust was set up to make it possible for artists to undertake and
complete UK-based projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It only helps artists and institutions that.... "depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities".
Given the Trust's modest resources, grants have usually been limited to £2,000 — but larger grants may be considered. No grants are available for study, residencies or research.
Deadline: 21st September 09. See the website for full details.
New! 14.08.09Urban Vision North Staffordshire is inviting proposals from local visual artists for national The Big Draw event in 2009.
The selected artist will be given £600 to spend on running creative workshops involving any kind of drawing activity, from 10th to 17th
October 09. Deadline for proposals: 4th September 09. Interested? Send your up-to-date C.V. and a brief proposal to: fiona.waddle@uvns.org , telling UVNS...
* What you would like to do
* Media, methods and materials you would use
* Where the workshop/event will take place
* How you would engage with participants
* Estimates of how the £600 would be spent
New! 14.08.09Samba Mela is a samba, dhol and bhangra festival happening in Hanley Park, Stoke-on-Trent,
on 27th September 09. The organisers are seeking people who would like to run creative activities, or put on a performance. Interested? Email Atiqur Rahman at info@sambamela.org.uk
New! 14.08.09
Do you have ideas about how to give children high quality music-making activities? Youth Music's Open Programme provides grants of between £5,000 and £30,000 to do just that.
They are seeking projects which clearly progress the musical skills of children, and/or provide them with clear pathways for further progression. They are also
interested in projects which are particularly distinctive or innovative in their approach. Interested? Visit the website for full information.
New! 14.08.09
Does your organisation operate within the boundaries of either Staffordshire County Council or Stoke City Council? Are you engaged in community
consultation and empowerment? If yes, then the Regional Empowerment Programme
is now inviting tenders for the first round of project commissions under the following themes: Disability and Empowerment; Black and Minority Ethnic Empowerment;
Young People and Empowerment; Community Based Research; and Engaged Citizens. Deadline: 28th August 09.
New! 14.08.09
The Creative Communities Unit at Staffordshire University is holding an Open Day and
Free Taster Workshop on 16th September 09, for those considering undertaking one of their courses. Bursaries are on offer to all applicants applying for
a place on the 'Developing Arts for Health' course. This means the price has been reduced from £500 down to £250, for all those offered a place on that course. See the
website for contact details.
The Unit also has a variety of new courses for 2009, including: Project Cycle Management; Community Arts in Global Perspective; and Equality and Diversity, among many others.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Events Listing: Noted community artist Nick Clements will host a free "evening of creative conversation", to mark his appointment as
Honorary Professor in Community Arts at Staffordshire University. The evening will be on 14th October 09 (6pm) and is titled: "Stoke-on-Trent — Dreaming for Real".
Please book a place first via: creativecommunities@staffs.ac.uk
New! 14.08.09
Given that North Staffordshire is now a large provider of healthcare, the workshop "An Insider's Guide to Delivering Arts in Hospitals" will be of interest
to many. This free workshop day will be held on 21st September 09 at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Limited places are available. To register your interest in the workshop,
contact Claire Carter: claire@creativityteam.co.uk or call 01694 731 759.
Of related interest, and also in the West Midlands, is "Dance 4 Health". This event (£40/£20) will be on 16th September 09, at the Trident Centre in Warwick.
It will offer an opportunity to hear from health professionals, artists and
commissioners about their role in the programme and the results of a six month action-research project
exploring the impact dance has on participants' social engagement, health and wellbeing. More information can be had from
Warwickshire County Council's Arts Service on 01926 412492.
Also of related interest, Creative Remedies UK: Linking Arts and Health across the West Midlands will
rebrand and launch their website in September 09, including new case studies... "which illustrate the range of arts and health work happening in Staffordshire".
One to watch.
New! 14.08.09Praxis Arts and Health will be a new West Midlands network
for those working in community arts in the field of arts and health. Subject to funding, they hope to launch their 2010 programme in December 09.
New! 14.08.09
English museums, libraries and archives can now apply for the MLA's "Setting the Pace: People's Record Phase 2" funding scheme,
which offers grants in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Small grants of between £1,000 and £4,000 will support small partnership projects which
will contribute to a... "community archive of people's responses to the London 2012 Olympics".
Funded projects will take place between September 2009 and March 2010. Full information can be had from: vanessa.harbar@mla.gov.uk
New! 14.08.09
The Social Enterprise West Midlands Survey is now underway, and there's
an online survey that seeks to collect data from 500 social enterprises across the West Midlands.
The survey should take just five minutes to complete. This will be followed later with a more detailed survey aimed at
particular groups of social entreprenuers and their service users.
New! 14.08.09
Interested in community media production with your local community? Community Voices seeks to support disadvantaged and isolated communities across
England. Funded until March 2011, Community Voices will fund projects by 26 community groups, alongside one major new £60,000 initiative and a further 40 x £500
grants for smaller start-up digital media projects.
New! 14.08.09Volunteers are wanted at the Film Theatre. Stoke-on-Trent's only independent art-house cinema relies
on the services of volunteers to keep running costs down. The only paid member of staff is a part-time administrator. The Film Theatre does not rely on external
grants and supports itself through box-office receipts and bar sales. Volunteers sell tickets, serve at the bar, collect tickets, project films and
manage the cinema. Organised into eight teams, volunteers work once a fortnight and get a free ticket for every shift worked. For most, the commitment works
out to less than one hour per week, plus travel. Can you help out? Please contact the Film Theatre on 01782 411188 and leave your contact details, or write to:
Gill Yates, Film Theatre Administrator. Film Theatre, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent. ST4 2EF.
New! 14.08.09
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Open Ceramics Exhibition is on in Birmingham until 5th September 09.
This is apparently the first ceramics Open in the Midlands, and – although Creative Stoke doesn't generally cover exhibitions – it
might be useful for local ceramic makers to visit the show if they want to judge the type of work chosen, with a view to entering the Open in 2010.
The Open aims to...
"cover all aspects of the contemporary
ceramic scene - studio ceramics, sculptural forms or experimental pieces - be they established or emerging makers. This includes ceramic students
and enthusiasts".
If you can't get to the Open, Terry Grimley of The Birmingham Post has reviewed the show,
although sadly without any pictures.
New! 14.08.09Culture 24 has a long interview with Gaye Blake Roberts, Director of the Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston near Stoke-on-Trent.
This local Museum was, of course, recently the winner of the national Art Fund Prize.
If you like what you see at the Wedgwood Museum, another fine local collection of ceramics will be on show at Keele in the Autumn. The Raven Mason Collection of Mason's
Ironstone and Porcelain at Keele will get a rare free public showing, on 13th September, 29th September and 27th October 09 (from 10am until 4pm). The Raven Mason Collection is said to be...
"one of the finest displays of Mason's
ceramics you will find on public display. This invitation provides visitors with a rare opportunity to view some of the most important items made over a
200 year span of the company's history displayed in historic Keele Hall, former home of the Sneyd family."
New! 14.08.09Shots from the Heart is a Midlands photography competition. Select your area on the website's map,
upload your photo and then... "tell us what you love about the Heart of England. The best pictures will win a free day out for a
group of four people to a top attraction in the Heart of England." It looks like they could currently use a few more entries from North Staffordshire. Deadline: September 09.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Destination Staffordshire is a joint-marketing body for Staffordshire, aiming
to support local businesses in leisure and heritage.
New! 14.08.09Culturing Stuff is a new website
that aims to be a social network for Stoke-on-Trent's creatives...
"Culturing Stuff is an arts, music and social creative community, based in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.
A place where creative people in Stoke & Staffordshire can get together, make friends and create a buzz,
be creative and express our cultural side. A place to share videos, audio, photos, stories and our culture.
Watch live music and listen to bands. Listen to tracks from Stoke's music making locals. Find out what's
happening on the stoke music and arts scene and share your own music, art and thoughts with us. We're
creating a tourist map of information about Stoke on Trent & Staffordshire and it's all made by you."
New! 14.08.09Creative Boom is a new website that aims to be a social network for Stoke-on-Trent's creatives. Launched in July 2009 by Kidsgrove-based
Boomerang P.R., Creative Boom aims to support freelancers and businesses of all sizes, helping them to gain new contacts...
New! 14.08.09
The informal HeadTalk meetings, being held at Fat Cats in Stoke-on-Trent, now have a website...
HeadTalk have an informal "quick fire" presentation night coming up on 13th November 09. More details: stokepechakucha@yahoo.co.uk Deadline for
application: 8th September 09.
New! 14.08.09Arts Compass is running a training event for creative industry advisors, trainers, coaches and mentors.
It'll be held at the Light House in Wolverhampton, on 5th October 09. The cost is £80. More information from the website or from: info@artsmatrix.org.uk
New! 14.08.09
30th September 09 is the deadline for visual creatives to claim a share of the £3-million DACS Payback fund.
If you've had an image of your work published in a British magazine or newspaper, or seen on a TV programme, yet not been paid for it — then applying could
get you a DACS cheque. The Payback money is raised from the annual photocopying & video/TV/DVD duplication licenses paid for by schools & colleges.
New! 14.08.09
The Leverhulme Artists in Residence award would like your
idea for an arts residency in a British institution of higher education (including museums), a residency which would... "contribute recognisably to the life and work of the host department
or centre". The award covers a grant for the resident artist, plus up to £2,500 for costs. The maximum total cost can be up to £12,500
overall for a typical residency, which would usually take ten months, based on the artist being present at the host institution for two days per week.
Next deadline: 1st September 09. Full details can be found at the website.
New! 14.08.09Artists Access to Art Colleges scheme is offering artists residencies at universities within easy reach of North Staffordshire by train — such as
Birmingham (BIAD), Coventry, Wolverhampton, Manchester, and Derby.
Most of the application deadlines are in September 09.
New! 14.08.09
Keele University is offering creative writing workshops on the ideas of Charles Darwin. The workshops are part of a day of
creative writing, drama, lectures, laboratory visits and field walks to explore Darwin's work and legacy, happening at Keele on 21st November 09.
A new publication will also be launched during the day, including original poems by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Ian McMillan and Polly Clark.
Cost is £12 (£6 concessions). For more information contact whatson@kfm.keele.ac.uk
New! 14.08.09
Are you a graphic novelist who would like to see their work in print? Major publisher Jonathan Cape and the Comica Festival have teamed with The Observer newspaper
to offer you the chance to publish your graphic short story. The first prize is £1,000, and the publication of your story across four pages in
The Observer's magazine (or in The Guardian website if the Observer closes soon, as is expected). The runner-up will receive £250
and your work will appear on The Guardian's website. Deadline: 25th September 09.
See the website for competition rules.
Entrants may also like to listen to
this frank podcast interview with the graphic novel editor at Jonathan Cape.
New! 14.08.09
Our local Arvon Centre for creative writing, located in nearby Shropshire, now has details of
their Autumn/Winter 2009 residential courses.
Autumn/Winter 2009 courses include, among others: Writing for Radio; Comedy Writing; Film Writing; and Writing for Television.
New! 14.08.09
Our local Wedgwood Memorial College, on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent,
has a variety of creative short
residential courses for the Autumn. Among those relevant to the arts and creative industries are: Beginners Guide to Investment; Painting Light and Atmosphere;
Making Facsimile Music; and Writing News and Features.
New! 14.08.09
Advance news of Typographics Horizons, a one-day symposium for Midlands typographers. It's being organised by UKType in collaboration with The Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (BIAD).
There are no further details of website yet, but if you're a typographer or graphic designer the date for your diary is 18th November 09.
New! 14.08.09
The next Stoke-on-Writing group meeting is scheduled for the 5th September 09, 10.00am at the Bentilee neighbourhood centre in Stoke-on-Trent.
All writers are welcome, please just bring something you've written. Dates for future meetings are: 3rd October; 7th November; and 5th December.
The group hopes to publish the Write On Anthology later this year.
New! 14.08.09
There's a new book by acclaimed author Stephen Foster, launching on the 3rd September 09. It's titled
And She Laughed No More: Stoke City's Premiership Adventure.
New! 14.08.09
Would you be interested in being part of a project about the canal network between Stoke-on-Trent and Lincoln? Amelia Beavis-Harrison and Cameron Craig,
proposing the Project 120AD project, are seeking early-stage responses from artists in Stoke-on-Trent. The Fossdyke Canal in Lincoln is said to connect with Stoke-on-Trent, and the focus of the project
will contrast the possible Roman history of the canal with the modern-day canal culture. If you are an artist with an interest in Midlands canals, and especially with canals that shadow the Trent,
please contact Amelia and Cameron at: mail@ameliabeavisharrison.com
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Events List: Ceramic City: Design & The Public Realm is a conference at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. The conference will
talk about the role of crafts in public spaces, with special emphasis on the role of ceramics. The event will take place on 9th-10th October 09.
Cost: £150.
New! 14.08.09
One for the diary! There will be a grand West Midlands Open Art Exhibition from 6th March to 2nd May 2010, at the
Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. It will be part of a cross-promoted West Midlands Open programme with Wolverhampton Art Gallery,
and possibly with other galleries. No further details yet, but it seems likely that the entry forms should be available before Christmas 09.
New! 14.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent is to get £50,000 in seedcorn funding to explore "creative ways" to use empty shops
for the benefit of the public. No further details at present, but it's one to watch out for.
New! 14.08.09
The owner of the well-publicised Painted House at Goldenhill in Stoke-on-Trent is
seeking potential house-share tenants.
Interested? Email: stevewilliamsart@gmail.com or phone 07919 817914.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Stoke-on-Trent silversmith and designer Joanne Panayi.
Joanne recently won the Goldsmiths Company Craftsmanship & Design Awards, and won the Goldsmiths Precious Metal Bursary in 2008.
New! 14.08.09
Local artist Rachel Grant has recently updated her website, and added fresh images from recent projects such as the
Place Space & Identity 2 project in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Leek All Saints Operatic Society.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Daniel Challinor is a magician based in Stoke-on-Trent, who has a new website...
New! 14.08.09Subsonik is an excellent free weekly podcast, featuring new local bands and the music being made across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
They can also be found on MySpace.
New! 14.08.09
The BitJam website features experimental music from Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: There's a new web address for the North Staffordshire Folk Diary.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Barefoot Doctors is a blog for the new skills-development project in North Staffordshire which is being run by Newcastle-under-Lyme's B Arts.
The project is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. More details at the blog.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: A new website for Stoke-on-Trent's Nicholas Hudson PaineNew! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: DB Digital 3D is based in Stoke-on-Trent,
and offers 3D visualisation, modelling and animation with Maya, Photoshop, and RealFlow.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Helen Billingsley is a studio potter living and working near Stafford.
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: Etsy Midlanders is a new blog and networking hub for UK Etsy sellers in the Midlands. For those who don't know,
Etsy is an open online marketplace where everything for
sale has to be individually hand-made by the sellers.
New! 14.08.09
Stoke bands which recently had notable media coverage, and which have a web page: Herzoga; This Machine is Off;
and Bleached Wail.
New! 14.08.09
The Stafford Film Festival, set to happen in October 09, has been cancelled.
~~ Summer holidays ~~New! 19.06.09
Creative Stoke is now taking a summer break, as in previous years.
Enjoy your own holidays; and please keep sending in information, new links, and ideas;
the site will be updated with these toward the end of August 09.
New! 19.06.09
Those involved in the heritage side of the cultural economy may be interested in Heritage Counts 2008, the annual English Heritage
survey of the state of England's historic environment and the services and attractions associated with it. There's a special report on the West Midlands, along with previous West Midlands reports dating back to 2002.
New! 18.06.09
A new Midlands festival is being launched in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Falstaff International Film Festival.
The submissions deadline is 15th September 09.
New! 19.06.09
Details are now online for Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial "Fresh" competitive show
for work by recent graduates.
The show will happen at the Emma Bridgewater Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent, from 3rd Oct to 13th Dec 09. Entrants must have...
"graduated in or after 2008 from Higher Education Institutes studying ceramics or related clay-based activities (including postgraduate programmes)
at colleges within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland."
Deadline: 29th June 09. Application form here (Word .doc).
New! 19.06.09
Details are now online for Stoke-on-Trent's British Ceramics Biennial project strands, with details of
the artists who have been invited to participate...
BCB: Place will see artists make "new site-specific works, raising the profile of ceramics in the city, and giving new identity to locations." BCB: Explore will see artists
"take part in research within the ceramics industry". BCB: Public will see community workshops across the city. BCB: Start will "support the setting up of nine new creative
ceramics businesses between 2009 and 2013". And BCB: Scrapbank will be a Recycle Resource Project in Burslem, where "discarded and surplus materials,
tools, equipment and ceramics will be collected, sorted, and distributed for re-use in the BCB projects and programme".
New! 18.06.09
Script, the regional development agency for dramatic writers in the West Midlands, is running a screenwriting workshop at the New Vic Theatre in
Newcastle-under-Lyme, on 4th July 09. The day (10am to 5pm) and will be run by TV/Film Producer Claire Ingham, with Dan Lawson (Screen WM)...
"What kinds of feature films are currently being approved in the UK? Who's funding them, and how do you get your foot on the ladder as a new writer?
An overview of the films that have been made in the last few years: trends, funders, writing schemes - and how to gain access to development funding, commissioners and producers."
Cost: £60 (workshop + ticket for The Wicked Lady), or £50 (workshop only). Booking forms here.
New! 18.06.09
The venerable academic journal Midland History has quietly made some 350 back-issue articles freely available online
in full-text PDF form (the section Existing Subscribers / Browse issues by Year now freely offers up the linked PDFs). Among the scholarly articles are
"Surviving the Slump: An Oral History of Stoke-on-Trent Between the Wars" by Angus McInnes.
New! 18.06.09
Congratulations to the new Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, which has this week won the 'Art Fund Museum of the Year Award'.
The museum is dedicated to the people who have made objects of great beauty from the
soil of Staffordshire, and celebrates the enterprise and tenacity of the universally-famous Wedgwood name. Sure to be
a stop of your list of local outings this summer!
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: Stoke-on-Trent Camera Club, which has been running since 1945, now has a website...
They'll be having an Open Evening on 16th July 09.
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: Jo Williams writes from Audley, to say that after many years as a textile and show-home designer, she is now offering her work as an equestrian artist, via
her new website. Jo is also looking for suitable studio space
in Stoke-on-Trent — please contact her if you have a space available.
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: Amanda Woakes writes from Woore (near Stoke-on-Trent), to say she has a new website.
Amanda crafts jewellery using silver, suede, and new and antique buttons.
New! 16.06.09
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum & Art Gallery now has a webpage detailing their cultural grants for organisations.
New! 16.06.09
From January 2010 onwards, the existing 'Hall Gallery' at the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum & Art Gallery will solely be used as a showcasing space for young / emerging artists.
The exhibition opportunities will also be accompanied by a supporting professional development programme for the young artists.
Details for this are still being developed — but if you would like to discuss this or recommend a young artist, please get in touch with the gallery.
New! 16.06.09
Andrew Latham is looking for dancers, musicians, theatre and performers to perform and take part in the Crewe Carnival Parade on Saturday 29th August 09. Interested? Email
andrew.latham@cheshireeast.gov.uk or phone 01270 537846.
New! 16.06.09Longhouse / Multistory (formerly Jubilee Arts / Public Art : West Midlands) have a call out for their annual round of action-research artist commissions.
Five bursaries available for 2009/10, for West Midlands artists to... "discover new contexts for their work via the exploration of different approaches to socially engaged practice in the public realm".
The research will take place over a period of six months from August 2009 to January 2010. The artist must document their project online
Applicants are requested to include the following:
Covering letter with full address and contact details.
Recent C.V. (no longer than two sides of A4).
Up to four printed or digital images of your work (if visual).
Expression of Interest statement (maximum 600 words).
The Expression of Interest should include:
An outline of your proposed action research idea (based around one of the themes: Environment, Access, Digital, Regeneration, Health).
How you propose to present or create online content for the Longhouse website to record and document (or as part of) your research.
Your thoughts on how you expect this bursary will impact you and your practice in both the short and long term.
Deadline: Monday 22nd June 2009. Both post and email applications will be accepted. Email to: karlgreenwood@multistory.org.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an informal interview at Multistory in West Bromwich, week commencing Monday 6 July 2009.
New! 16.06.09
23rd June 09 is the date for CreativeAmbition 3, for providers of professional development training to those in the creative and cultural industries. It's at the
Birmingham Hippodrome.
New! 16.06.09 It may not yet be midsummer's day, but Christmas is 'a coming!
1) Paul Challacombe is inviting bookings for the Christmas Craft Exhibition at the Brewhouse arts centre in Burton-upon-Trent.
Deadline: 19th June 09. The exhibition will run from 21st Nov 09 to 19th Dec 09. Work will be needed by 13th Nov 09. For more details, contact Paul at paul.challacombe@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
2) Another near-Christmas opportunity is at The Shire Hall Gallery, in Stafford. They will be hosting a contemporary art and craft fair on Friday 6th & Saturday 7th November 2009.
If you are an Artist / Designer maker and would like to request an application form, please contact Lyndsey Catchpole, Exhibitions Co-ordinator at: lyndsey.catchpole@staffordshiree.gov.uk
Deadline for returning application forms is: 5pm on 30th June 09.
New! 18.05.09
A third issue of the local creative writing magazine Keele Writing is due to be launched on Thursday. Previous issues are available online at the
Keele Writing website.
New! 18.05.09
Keele University is holding a one-day 'Shoestring Festival' writing challenge
event on Thursday 21st May 09, including a workshop on the challenges to overcome when writing, and a
talk about the M.A. Creative Writing degree at Keele. The event starts at 2pm at the Keele Postgraduate Association Clubhouse.
New! 18.05.09
County Show Radio will broadcast live from the Staffordshire County Showground on May 27/28 (Wed/Thu) on 87.7FM
(just down the dial from BBC Radio 2), so you can 'visit' the show from your arm chair. We're not entirely sure if the signal will be strong enough to reach Stoke-on-Trent from Stafford,
but see what you can get on 87.7FM on the day. The station will be presented, in part, by local specialist community-licence presenter Shaun Geraghty.
New! 15.05.09
There's a major comics production training opportunity for the West Midlands. Comix is run by Birmingham's Hi8us, and tutored by John McCrea and Hunt Emerson —
in the company of Laura Howell (The Beano), my former student Asia Alfasi (Native Narratives), and Stoke-on-Trent's Andi Watson (Breakfast After Noon, Buffy)...
"If you're 16 plus, with a passion for comic art and live in the West Midlands, then Hi8us Midlands' latest FREE comic art scheme called COMIX, could be for you. All the lucky winners
will also get to work with people on similar schemes across Europe and get a supported trip to a comic art festival in Spain as well as a trip to the Birmingham International Comics Show."
There are 20 places available, and it's all happening in Birmingham between June and November 09. The full flyer is here (PDF link).
New! 11.05.09
Staffordshire University's Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Regeneration is set to host a Creative Industries and Creative Communities conference
in Stoke-on-Trent, November 2009 (£119 + VAT). The organisers are currently calling for papers on: Promoting the creative industries sector, which policies work? ; Attracting, training, and
supporting creative workers; and Fostering cultural creativity within creative communities.
New! 11.05.09
The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, offers high-quality exhibition space to local artists,
and they're now seeking more artists to consider for future exhibitions.
Creative Stoke has heard very positive things from visual artists who have shown at this venue, re: sales.
Interested? Contact David Sunnuck, Front of House Manager, at: dsunnuck _at_ newvictheatre.org.uk
New! 11.05.09
The Sector Skills Council's new Glazed Ceramics Industry Board was launched
at the "Made in Staffordshire" event in Stoke-on-Trent, on 11th May 2009. Amid difficult times, the Board aims to: raise the profile of the
ceramics industry to make it more appealing to young people; boost skills and investment in the workforce; and help develop new qualifications.
More information for employers from Lisa Williams at: lisa _dot_ williamson _at_ proskills.co.uk
New! 10.05.09
The excellent Stoke Sounds weblog now has a new social networking sister-site, Stoke Bands Network.
New! 10.05.09HeadTalk is a new informal opportunity for local artists to meet up, and to discuss issues in contemporary arts practice. It will happen
on the first Tuesday of each month at Fat Cats bar in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent (7pm-9pm).
More details from: info _at_ headtalk.org.uk
New! 08.05.09
The new Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston has been shortlisted for the 'Art Fund Museum of the Year Award', which means it is down to the final four.
They need a public vote now, if they are to win. The museum is dedicated to the people who have made objects of great beauty from the
soil of Staffordshire, and celebrates the enterprise and tenacity of the universally-famous Wedgwood name. The building was also designed by local Stoke-on-Trent architects.
You can vote via this link.
New! 06.05.09
Stoke-on-Trent's AirSpace Gallery is hosting an artists' talk by Ian Brown and Alex Pearl, as part of the "Trying to Cope with Things that Aren't Human" exhibition
at AirSpace. The talk will be on Saturday 9th May 09, at 2pm at the AirSpace Gallery. AirSpace writes...
"The show has been extended until the 9th of May,
after great reviews in national, international and the art press. Notably the review in Art Monthly, just out."
New! 06.05.09
Rebirth is a series of multi-artform events created to celebrate the transformation of the City General's Maternity Hospital. A series of
light-projection displays will lead up to the July launch at new Maternity Centre — a launch event that sounds like a good networking opportunity, especially for artists interested in health issues.
Rebirth launch will also see launch of the documentary film and book, and will showcase artworks by local art students — sculpture, light-projections, paintings
and installations for the new maternity centre. Both the book and DVD will be available for sale (any proceeds will go towards new art projects for the maternity centre).
Watch for more details on Creative Stoke, nearer to July. More details from Rose Strang: rose.strang _at_ gmail.com.
Celine Siani Djiakoua has images on her weblog, and a description of her work as part of Rebirth.
New! 06.05.09
Arts Council England's "Artists Taking the Lead" project is seeking artists from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire,
who have ideas about how the West Midlands might be linked in to the 2012 London Olympics. 12 arts projects will be selected, one from each of the 12 regions.
New! 06.05.09
Added to the directory: Nicola Jane Hulme is a specialist tile designer/maker working from Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 25.04.09
The Three Shires Textile Festival is a local festival
that's new for 2009. It's happening in and around the Staffordshire Moorlands, between the 4th and 19th of July 09.
The festival seeks to celebrate...
"the area's textile heritage — its strong connections to the Arts & Crafts Movement in Leek, ribbon and
velvet making in Congleton, silk weaving and design in Macclesfield, and the cotton mills of Bollington and Styal."
The 2-week programme includes...
"hands-on workshops to learn rag-rugging, knitting, demonstrations of sheep-shearing, spinning and weaving
and much more — over 60 events are already confirmed."
New! 25.04.09
There's a useful new weblog for Stoke-on-Trent's punk rock bands and fans: Stoke Punk Zone.
New! 22.04.09
Matt Bishop, already established with his Inspire Music Recording Studio (formerly Gorsty Hill Studio), writes to say he's
launched a new business called Inspire Music — a music school offering
tuition in guitar, bass, drums, piano, sax and vocals. Inspire Music also has two band-rehearsal rooms and the Inspire recording studio, all conveniently in the same building.
New! 22.04.09
Burslem School of Art is hosting a business advice event, "How Not To Get Ripped Off", on 29th April 09, from 6pm.
This free seminar with David Miller (Associate with Knights Solicitors LLP) will offer a basic guide to Intellectual Property law,
covering the steps any creative professional should take in order to stop
somebody else commercially using your work without your permission
(including copyright, patenting, trade marks, licensing and design rights.) Attendees must first book via
this events form.
New! 22.04.09
As part of the Disability Film Festival in nearby Wolverhampton (just a short hop on the train from Stoke station), there will
be a free talk about genetics, art and sci-art: "The Art of Genetics" at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Friday 24th April 09, from 6pm. Admission free. Featuring Simon McKeown
(producer of Motion Disabled), Professor Rob Bunton, and Dr Paul Darke. Followed by a film screening at the nearby Light House cinema.
New! 22.04.09
The Brewhouse at Burton-upon-Trent is inviting entries for "The Art of Paper" exhibition. Deadline: 5th May 09.
The show will be open from 4th July until 8th August 09. Work will be needed by Friday 26th June and returned by Friday 21st August.
You'll be an artist...
"working with paper to produce interesting and original artwork, and in practice we are looking for work that can be placed upon the wall of the gallery."
Interested? More details from: Paul Challacombe: paul.challacombe _at_ eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 22.04.09
Have a worthy photography project in mind, one that could use £5,000 of support? The organisers of the Nikon Photo Project awards are now inviting applications.
New! 22.04.09
It's that time of year again, when the early summer festivals and fairs are taking bookings for stalls from crafts makers. The Buxton Festival is organising for 2009,
as is the Leek Arts Festival (2nd - 30th May, including an Open Photographic Competition), the Etruria Canals Festival (30th May 09), the Burslem Festival (2nd May), and
the 3rd Chillington Food and Country Fair (Chillington Hall, situated between Brewood and Codsall - 01785 713419 or email anneg _at_ musicmakers.demon.co.uk) are among the many now inviting bookings for stalls.
New! 22.04.09
Fancy having your band opening as a support for the veteran rock act Hawkwind? Sky Studios are staging a one-day festival on 12th July 09.
SkyFest will be at Biddulph Grange Country Park, featuring Hawkwind, Forever Never and Crave. Sky Studios are also keen to get a fourth local band.
Could that be you? Turn up at Knypersley Sports Club on 25th April, 22nd May and 20th June 09 (PA, drums and backline supplied), and play for 20 minutes. The top three acts from each night will...
"get free beer and food on the festival day and will play again on the main stage to battle it out in the final ... The eventual winners will open the evening event in front of a
1500 capacity crowd as 4th support to Hawkwind. Votes will be by text from your fans and will be held open for three weeks after each event and for the day on the festival day."
There's no mention of a per-band entry fee, and hopefully the per-vote cost of voting by phone won't be too much of a burden on your fans' pocket-money.
New! 22.04.09
Added to the directory: Stoke-on-Trent graphic designer Mike Messina.
New! 22.04.09
Added to the directory: Stoke-on-Trent painter in oils, Eddy Donkin, whose website has local scenes of the Potteries and the region's mining industries.
New! 22.04.09
Added to the directory: Stoke-on-Writing (SToW) is a new writers' group based in the Bentilee Community Centre in the city. The aim is to...
"...support and help writers to improve and get published. We meet monthly, usually on the second Saturday of the month. For further details contact
stokeonwriting _at_ gmail.com"
New! 22.04.09
The organisation Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent has been renamed. It has been titled "Partners in Creative Learning" since 1st April 2009,
and has a new website address. Email addresses have apparently also changed...
Rachel Billington (Acting Director) rachel _at_ picl.uk.com
Iain Perry (Programme Coordinator) - iain _at_ picl.uk.com
Erica Love (Operations Manager) - erica _at_ picl.uk.com
Our new information email for general enquiries is info _at_ picl.uk.com
New! 04.04.09
Stoke-on-Trent's local news blog Radical Press has announced a merger with another new blog called Pits'n'Pots, to form a new combined blog giving an alternative take on local news.
The Sentinel and BBC Radio Stoke do a sterling job, but there's always room for more news-gathering capacity in the area. The new combo blog is called, naturally
enough, Pits'n'Pots - The Radical Press.
New! 04.04.09
All of Creative Stoke's 'Directory' external web links have been checked for viability. The following dead/domain-jacked links have been removed from the Directory:-
Modern Engraving, KDM Events Management, Peter Rose Inc., PMS Associates Marketing & Design, Fired Up Marketing, Sponge Marketing, Rural Education & Arts Project,
Staffordshire Cash for Culture, Barbara Chainey, Woodspinners, Soul Mekanik, Urban Lizard, The Country Gallery, Churnet Contemporary Arts, Marina Designs,
Paul Pickard, Angel Photography, Jon Braley, Derek Shapiro, New Dawn Art. If anyone knows the new online whereabouts of these websites, please contact Creative Stoke.
New! 04.04.09
Bookings are now being taken for the 8th annual Burslem Arts & Crafts Festival, to be held on Saturday 2nd May 09.
As well as stalls, street performers are also needed. Interested? Email: julie_newbold _at_ hotmail.co.uk
New! 04.04.09The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists has two exhibitions coming up. For the first, entry-forms will be available from this coming Monday
(6th April 09) with a deadline of 20th May 09, for a major show from 28th May - 27th June 09.
The second show is their Open Ceramics Exhibition from 29th July - 5th Sept 09, with sponsorship from the Ceramic Review and
several ceramics firms. Entry forms are available now, and the deadline is 15th May 09.
New! 04.04.09
Fancy getting knotted? The Etruria Industrial Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, is the new venue for a group of fancy knot-workers in the North Midlands and North West.
They'll be having their first meeting there on Sunday 14th June 09.
New! 02.04.09Speight of the Art Foundation is holding a North Staffordshire event on 5th of April 09, at
McDonalds in Newcastle-under-Lyme (10am - 12 noon). 40 free places are being offered to local children and teenagers (between 4 and 18 years old).
The places may all have been filled, but contact Speight of the Art to see if there are any spare.
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: Debbie Buxton is a local fine artist based in Leek, and also a graduate of Staffordshire University (class of 2007).
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: Broken Branch Records is a new Stoke-on-Trent record label.
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: BBC Staffordshire - Entertainment pages link - added to the Writing & Publishing page.
New! 22.03.09
BBC Radio Stoke is looking for two young people to take up a placement over the summer reporting on local music and local sport.
Closing date for applications: 30th April 09.
New! 22.03.09
Laura Durber writes to say she's a Staffordshire University student studying the 'Foundation Degree in Creative Arts for Employment' (based at Newcastle-u-L College)...
"I am seeking some work-experience with either a ceramisist or a sculptor, because I complete my course in July 09 and hope to find suitable employment."
If you can offer a placement, please email Laura at: laura_durber _at_ yahoo.co.uk
New! 22.03.09Midlands Young Fashion Designers Awards. Accepting nominations/entries now. Deadline: 31st March 09.
New! 22.03.09
Launching on Monday 23rd March 09, a new opportunity for West Midlands photographers. Deadline: 27th April 09...
"To coincide with Rhubarb's tenth birthday, photographers in the UK are invited to apply for the new Rhubarb/Arts Council Bursary Scheme 2009,
where the ten chosen will be profiled at the Rhubarb International Review in July/August this year. Five photographers will be chosen from the
West Midlands region, and five from the rest of the UK."
New! 22.03.09
James writes from Newcastle-under-Lyme...
"I thought that I would write to you with 'one of those things' that make you realise why you created this site in the first place. The micro-company that I created recently got bought out
(with a big cash injection for my new venture). Instead of - as suggested/forced by my investors - working from Manchester for its creative community, I used the Creative Stoke website to
show exactly how the city and the region is a place of great creativity with lots of potential for more. [...] I have since dragged a couple of Mancs and Brummies this way to work in
Newcastle-u-L, every day, for a living. [...] So, a big thank you for helping me persuade some hefty financial backers that Stoke is the place for my business."
New! 22.03.09
Wolverhampton Art Gallery — a short hop on the train from Stoke — will be launching the brand-new "Hire Space", at an event on Saturday 28th March 09 from 2pm to 4pm.
Converted from the previous shop premises located near the Lichfield Street entrance to the Art Gallery, the "Hire Space" will provide a platform to showcase art by
artists who were born, work or study in the West Midlands. The Hire Space will annually provide seven exhibition slots for artists to hire, and three slots for use by
Wolverhampton Arts + Museums Education and Outreach teams. Cost is £195 to hire for a 4 week exhibition. The application process is open to all on a "first-come, first-served" basis.
Interested? More details from: laura.marsh _at_ wolverhampton.gov.uk
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: Rachel Marsden is a North Staffordshire artist and also a curator, photographer and bookbinder.
Her latest project has a website, findandseek.me.
New! 14.03.09
The launch of the Urban Vision-sponsored "Home!" photographic exhibition is coming up soon (20th March 09) at the Burslem School of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Should be a
good event for networking with fellow creatives...
Talking of the School of Art, many will remember Darren Washington's AirSpace Gallery exhibition last year "Tales from a Changing City". We're told that Daniel has secured the
Burslem School of Art in Autumn 2009, for a sequel show.
New! 14.03.09
There's a brand-new website and URL for The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and associated museums / houses, and very nice it looks too...
New! 14.03.09
Rose Strang writes to tell us about Stoke-on-Trent's "Art for Life" programme co-ordinated by the Royal Infirmary. The latest "Art for Life" project
needs creative writers and emerging poets. "Rebirth Project 2009" will be based at North Staffs Maternity Hospital at the City General. In spring 2009
a new Maternity Centre will open when the old hospital is demolished – so the project is asking people in the city to send them a three-line poem
about Rebirth. In May 09 they plan to include your poems in large-scale light projections onto the building, and some of the best poems will be
included and credited in a book about the maternity transformation. There is also the possibility that some poems could be used in a documentary film.
"Some thoughts to get you writing... What will you feel when the old Maternity Block is pulled down? / Do you recall the colours, smells and sounds? /
How did it feel to hold your first baby? / What is your message for a newborn child? / Do you have a message for the future? / What were your hopes, dreams and fears for your unborn child? /
What kind of world would you like a child to enter? "
Interested? Send your three-line poem to: rosemary.strang@uhns.nhs.uk
New! 14.03.09
The Public, in West Bromwich in the West Midlands, is hosting a free, one-day regional youth arts conference on Tuesday 24th March 09 (9.30am - 4.15pm).
Fellow organisers are ENYAN and the Regional Youth Work Unit, and the event will focus on "young people as cultural producers".
Sessions will be on: "The 2012 Olympics & The Cultural Olympiad" / The Cultural Offer Beyond Simply "Find Your Talent" /
Developing Young Arts Leaders / Training and Professional Development / Networking & Information Services.
To book your place please email: enyan2@artswork.org.uk
New! 14.03.09
Coming up soon is the second Stoke Your Fires animation festival, in Stoke-on-Trent. The 2009 website is now online,
and the dates are 2nd - 3rd April 09. Sure to be an excellent networking event, as well as packed with useful talks, seminars and workshops.
New! 14.03.09
Added to the directory: Daniel Lyttleton writes to say he has a new website, Invent Canvas, offering personalised wall-art based on your photographs.
New! 14.03.09
Added to the directory: Modern Glass are a firm offering traditional & contemporary decorative glass (and glass-painting), based in Northwood, Stoke-on-Trent.
They also have individual craft-glass works available to buy at Half Baked Glass.
New! 06.03.09
We're informed that there's a writers' group meeting at Hanley Library, in Stoke-on-Trent. It's described as a... "self-help writing group, [for] both
new and practised writers." The group meets on Friday afternoons, 1pm - 3pm, during school term-time. Interested?
Contact Peter Branson at p_branson@sky.com
New! 03.03.09
Creative Stoke's current front-cover interviewee, Paine Proffitt, has a show of new work on now.
We've only just heard about it, but apparently the show opened last night and continues until 26th March 09. "A Quiet Heart" is at the Burslem School
of Art, Stoke-on-Trent, and should be open during normal gallery hours.
New! 03.03.09
Jobs: The British Ceramics Biennial (to be held in Stoke-on-Trent) is reportedly calling for participants in "Commissions, Residencies and Workshops",
with a closing date for applications of 30th March 09. They also require a Marketing Manager and a Projects Manager — deadline for applications for these jobs is 23rd March 09.
More information from Jeremy Theophilus (Director) at jeremy _at_ britishceramicsbiennial.com
New! 03.03.09
Staffordshire Library and Information Services is staging a "Young Teen Fiction Award Celebration Day" on Tuesday 7th July 2009,
for readers and writers aged 11-14 years old. They require... "one male and one female author for the day. One would talk in the
morning for 40 minutes and the other would talk during the afternoon, again for 40 minutes." Interested? Contact them via their website.
New! 03.03.09
Added to the directory: Looking for some especially imaginative artwork for your ad campaign? Or a beautiful Flash animation? Cheshire Studios is based in Leek, Staffordshire,
and has an impressive photomontage portfolio online. Also providing radio, print and web design.
New! 03.03.09
Added to the directory: Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, has a new dance school — the Urban Burn Dance School (Flash-only website). Located within St. Peter's Church of England High School, the school
offers a variety of dance styles, and even choreography for performances.
New! 03.03.09
With Stoke-on-Trent's Mitchell Memorial Theatre currently undergoing renovation and rebuilding (via £2m of Lottery funding), Planet Sound has now completed
a move to the Burslem School of Art, also in Stoke-on-Trent. They write...
"The Drum School due to start back on Sunday 1st March 2009 at 4pm, with the recently formed 'Samba Cultura' taking place on alternate
Sundays. Both are due to take place in the School of Art".
New! 03.03.09
Added to the directory: Sarah Myatt Glass Design is based in Leek, Staffordshire, and offers her own
unique kiln-formed glass art — incorporating metals such as copper, silver and gold. Bowls, hangings, and jewellery are available.
New! 25.02.09
Your editor has been building a new project at JURN.org JURN is a specialist search-engine that searches
over 2,200 electronic academic journals in the arts and humanities — most of which are free. It's still "in beta", but is potentially rather useful if you're a student or lecturer at one of our local universities
— such as Staffordshire, Keele, or MMU at Crewe. It works just like Google.
New! 25.02.09
There's a new Facebook group: "The Potteries : a ceramic past and present", set up by Stoke's Iconic Images.
New! 25.02.09
Added to the directory:
Need dance, drama and voice training or workshops? Sarah Marie Cole writes to say that she's based in Stoke-on-Trent and... "is a professional, trained performer with
experience in theatre and television." She has... "taught workshops with all age groups and levels in dance, drama and voice."
New! 25.02.09
Added to the directory: Design by Jack, based in Meir Heath.
DbJ is a... "graphic design agency, specialising in identity, branding and advertising".
New! 06.02.09
Den Cartlidge writes to tell Creative Stoke readers about a new local creative-writing group. Leek Writers Group aims to be
an informal and friendly local society, dedicated to promoting writing and writers in North Staffordshire. Interested? Contact
Den at: den.cartlidge@hotmail.co.uk
New! 06.02.09
Added to the directory: Craig Faulkner write to say that he has a new website and has...
"been teaching singing for a number of years in the West Midlands and am now based in Staffordshire. I welcome students of all ages, experience and voice types.
I have worked for a number of schools and sixth-forms, and also as a singing teacher for Stagecoach Theatre Arts [...] I prepare students for GCSE, A Level and auditions [...]
and am on the pathway to becoming a Certified Master Teacher in Estill Voice Training — a method used in many leading full-time drama schools."
Interested? Phone Craig on: 01782 777062 or email Craig at: mail@craiganthonyfaulkner.com
New! 06.02.09
Gareth Mayer, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, writes to say that he's a comedian who's seeking others
to participate in comedy sketches and film — and also people to work
behind a camera. The aim is to support two events to raise money for breast cancer research and the
Bobby Moore Fund. Interested? Contact Gareth at: gazmayer2003@hotmail.com
New! 06.02.09
The "Legacy Trust: People Dancing" programme is set to launch in the West Midlands. The launch will be at the
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on 2nd March 09, from 10.30pm to 12.30pm...
"If you have an interest in the development of opportunities in dance in
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, I would encourage you to attend and find
out more about how to access the funding and resources available through the
Legacy Trust."
More information from: Paul Kaynes, West Midlands Creative Programmer, at
p.kaynes@culturewm.org.uk
New! 25.01.09
There's to be an unusual workshop conference on shops, to be held in nearby Wolverhampton. Retailing History: Texts and Images will be on 29th April 09 at the University of Wolverhampton…
"...a discussion of the nature of the texts and images associated with retailing and retailers, including commercial images, artistic and literary representations, photographs and postcards, the printed word and the visual arts."
What role do urban researchers, artists and photographers play in regeneration processes?" "Are we accomplices or critics of power? The Dutch research group BAVO provocatively argue that researchers and artists here are equivalent to embedded journalists [in warzones]
...
New! 25.01.09
Stoke-on-Trent's Glassball Arts has set up the Living Gallery website, as part of an...
"digital media based community arts project in the heart of ... the Waterside area in Stoke-on-Trent."
Glassball will be placing art works over the door and window areas of people's homes that have been purchased under duress, gutted, and that are now set for demolition.
New! 22.01.09
Jobs: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking a creative for the following new project:
Mill Hill Primary — in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent — is seeking a new-media artist to explore "how
creative and imaginative uses of new media can support the ways in which teachers and pupils improve their speaking, listening and writing
skills". Budget: £5,000. Deadline: 26th January 09. Creative Stoke has the full brief available here (PDF, 80kb).
New! 22.01.09Place Space & Identity 2 is a programme of arts projects in North Staffordshire, running between January and March 09. The announced artists are:
Chris Twigg...
Sarah Nadin & Clare Reynolds...
"Benches" is a collaborative mission combining dance, photography and digital processes. Created from thoughts
and images of the people of North Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent this project uses public benches
as a meeting point and aims to unveil aspects of the areas contemporary identity."
And Louise Wood;
Rachel Grant;
Claire Barber.
There's apparently to be a launch event on 29th January 09. For details, email: info@pandaemonium.biz
New! 20.01.09
Urban Vision North Staffordshire has launched its 4th annual competition for photographs of our area. "Home!" is the theme...
Creative Stoke has the flyer and entry form (PDF, 850kb).
New! 20.01.09
The 2nd Stoke-on-Trent Stoke Your Fires Festival of Animation is inviting for entries to the Spring 09 event. Deadline is 19th February 09.
New! 15.01.09
The British Silk Painters Guild is hosting a weekend festival of workshops and talks on 1st & 2nd August 09,
at the nearby Rodbaston College. The theme is 'Silk Art to Wear'. More details are
available here.
New! 14.01.09
Job: DASH is a disability arts development organisation, based in nearby Shrewsbury and working across the West Midlands and the Welsh Marches. DASH is
currently seeking a Visual Arts Manager (£8,892, 2 days per week). Interested? More details via their website.
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: Matthew Stansfield Photography is based in Talke, Stoke-on-Trent.
Matthew specialises in photography of fashion, food, interiors, plus lifestyle portraits.
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: Grisdale Lesniak Swann, an
award-winning advertising agency based in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: Capoeira Art Brasil is a Stoke-on-Trent -based group that promotes Brazilian arts and culture, and runs weekly classes in capoeira and music.
You can see Capoeira Art Brasil on stage on 24th January 09, at 09 Dance festival at the Regent theatre in Stoke-on-Trent — 80 dance companies, 240 new dances and over 1500 dancers, in the region's 8th annual youth dance
festival.
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: Gemma Killingback is a glass artist The Roslyn Works, Longton (next to the Gladstone Pottery Museum).
Gemma designs and produces leaded and kiln-formed art glass and jewellery.
New! 11.01.09
Added to the events listing: 4th March 2009, at The Potters Club, Stoke, in 'The Potters Room'. 6pm to 8.30pm.
Creativity: Innovate Through the Recession — a
free Business Broker event, with Staffordshire University. The main speaker is Karl Woolley, Managing Director of the company that launched the BBC's Tweenies.
Also hear how Aynsley China won an 'Achievement in Innovation' award at the 2008 Lord Stafford Awards.
New! 09.01.09The Sunday TimesStyle in the City is happening in Birmingham in April 2009. The organisers are looking
for a 'Midlands Designer of the Future', and the chosen person will be heavily promoted to the 2009 event's shoppers.
Deadline for entries: 12th Feb 09.
New! 02.01.09
Fast Forward 1 is a new mentoring scheme to support mid-career crafts designer-makers from the West Midlands. It will offer the opportunity to
be mentored by a fellow arts professional. Deadline: 10th February 09. Full details are available here (PDF file).
New! 02.01.09
The Wedgwood Memorial College, just south of Stoke-on-Trent at Barlaston, has a new series of art history workshops in early 2009.
These include: 'Self Expression, Originality and Repetition'; 'Looking at the Overlooked'; 'Land and Environment'; 'Relationship of Art and Design Practice 1850-1940';
and 'The Real and the Virtual'. There are also a variety of short courses in arts and crafts production, such
as 'Introduction to Silver Jewellery Making', and 'Drawing and Painting: Focus on Foregrounds'.
New! 02.01.09
Those interested in the place of the arts and crafts in the future of adult education,
may like to note that there's to be a conference in Stoke-on-Trent.
Towards a New Agenda for Lifelong Learning will be at Staffordshire University in July 2009.
Context: adult education in England & Wales has lost over 1.5 million course places in the last three years alone. In 2006 the
two large colleges serving Stoke-on-Trent together announced a massive 205 staff redundancies, largely as a result of the government's drastic cuts to adult education and evening-classes.
New! 02.01.09The British Ceramics Biennial (aka Stoke Ceramics Festival, aka the International Ceramics Festival) has a new website online. The
dates are now, according to the website, "3th October to 13th December 2009". The event will be accompanied by a conference: "Ceramics Design and Craft in the Public Realm".
New! 26.12.08Creative Alliance is looking for people aged 15-19 from the West Midlands, who are seeking creative media experience in photography, illustration, graphic design and via social-networking websites.
You must be able to commit to 1-2 days a week for eight weeks. Creative Alliance is running the project from January to
February 09, in conjunction with Mediabox, and aims to publish some of the work on billboards to thousands of people across the city of Birmingham.
Interested? Find out more and book a place on one of th Open Day on 6th Jan, via: anna _at_ creativealliance.org.uk
New! 23.12.08
Keele University is launching a Three Counties Short Story competition, open to authors from Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire
Write a short story of up to 2,500 words (prize £300) or 'micro-stories' of up to 250 words. There is also a School prize and a
Student prize. The judges are writers Kate Long and Jim Sheard, and Professors Ian Bell and Scott McCracken of Keele University.
Full details of the Keele Short Story competitions, the rules and how to enter are available online.
Deadline: 14th February 09, with prizes announced in April 09.
New! 22.12.08
The Keele University Three Counties Open Photography event (opens 26th Feb 09) now has
the entry form online (PDF, 225kb).
Prize money is £950 in 2009, spread across a variety of prizes. Framed prints only (no online pre-selection process), delivered to Keele University Art Gallery.
New! 22.12.08
Jobs: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking creatives for the following new projects:
1). Our Lady's Primary School, in Stoke-on-Trent, is seeking creative practitioners in: i) New Media (£8000); ii) Site Specific work (£5000);
and they also need iii) An Astronaut (£1000 plus travel and accommodation for one-day visit).
The school will use the building of a new glass 'outside classroom' in the school grounds to explore the idea of 'a journey of discovery' in 'Space and the Universe' — with special focus
on discovering ways of adapting, utilizing and working within new and unknown spaces.
2). Heathfield Special School in Chell Heath, Stoke-on-Trent, is seeking a dynamic creative partner to help develop a thematic approach
to cross-curricular learning in Key Stages 3 & 4, using a multi sensory approach.
3). Hollywall Primary School, in Stoke-on-Trent, are seeking a creative multimedia partner who can work in film, photography and radio.
There is a budget of £2000, and a deadline for application of 13th January 09. The school is also
seeking someone to... "plan, assess, evidence and evaluate young people's creative development", as a separate commission.
More information and details of both commissions can be had directly from Si Waite at sisounds _at_ tiscali.co.uk
New! 16.12.08Stoke City Etc. is a new podcast... "A quirky thirty minutes focusing on all things Stoke City F.C., with
a glance at wider footballing issues to boot."
And talking of the team, the excellent Stoke Sounds
weblog brings news of a new book of oral
history about Stoke City F.C. You Couldn't Make it Up is by Dave Lee, and is book of anecdotes concerning Stoke City football team.
No details of the book seem to be online, but we hope to link to more information soon.
New! 14.12.08
£500 training grants are on offer from the Learning and Skills Council. The "Train To Gain" scheme
is aimed at senior managers in firms, who wish to boost their skills via one-to-one training and mentoring.
Interested? Call Fred Bentley on: 0845 1131234.
New! 12.12.08
Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service and The Shire Hall Gallery
are calling for work from... "craft makers in all disciplines for work on the theme of Nursery Rhymes, for an exhibition in September 2009. Limited commissions available
(subject to funding). The exhibition will be aimed at introducing contemporary crafts to those aged under 5 years old."
Please send images, C.V. and artist's statement by email/disc to: Kim Gould, Gallery & Exhibition Development Officer, Shire Hall Gallery,
Market Square, Stafford. ST16 2LD. Deadline: 27 February 09. For more information contact: kim.gould _at_ staffordshire.gov.uk
New! 12.12.08
Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service and The Shire Hall Gallery
are calling for work from... "all contemporary crafts people who create work based on the broad theme of Staffordshire. You could use maps, be a ceramicist
inspired by the history of the potteries, use materials collected on Cannock Chase or just be inspired by the various landscapes within the County -
however you interpret your feelings towards Staffordshire, we would like to hear from you. Applications are welcome from people who don't live in Staffordshire."
To apply: send up to six images, C.V. and artist's statement to: Lyndsey Catchpole, Exhibitions Co-ordinator Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 2LD.
Deadline for submissions: 31st January 09. For more information contact Lyndsey Catchpole: lyndsey.catchpole _at_ staffordshire.gov.uk
New! 12.12.08
Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service and The Shire Hall Gallery
are calling for art on the theme of the 1950s, that draws inspiration from the 1950s, be it... "life in the 1950s, design elements or popular culture", for a 2009
group exhibition at the Shire Hall Gallery. Deadline for submissions: 28th February 09. For more information contact Lyndsey Catchpole: lyndsey.catchpole _at_ staffordshire.gov.uk
New! 07.12.08
Designer Maker West Midlands is to hold a 'Finding out about Funding" day on 15th January 09...
"The day will consist of presentations from experts and the opportunity for makers to discuss their funding ideas and ask questions in small informal discussions groups. Booking is essential."
New! 07.12.08
Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking creatives for an opportunity at the Glebe Primary School in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. The Glebe is offering a project (PDF link) titled As Speaking Sunflowers,
for which they want to partner with any creative partner who is experienced in working with stories. The school wants to...
"harness children's love of and enjoyment of stories, as a
central theme to promote aspects of emotional communication."
New! 05.12.08
Creative Stoke has the flyer for the re:place arts festival in nearby Derbyshire...
New! 05.12.08
Julia of Sew Kitsch is running craft classes, now booking, at Slaters' Craft Village in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
New! 04.12.08
The Arts for Health Programme at South Staffordshire & Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust needs experienced community artists
for projects with people of all ages who use mental health and learning disability services. Projects will start in Spring 09. Interested? Send a copy of your C.V., and a brief statement outlining
your relevant experience and interest in working on our Programme, to: emma.yorke _at_ sssft.nhs.uk
New! 29.11.08
Can you write a substantial short-story in two weeks? Birmingham’s Tindal Street Press, in partnership with The Birmingham Post, is running the Roads Ahead short story invite/competition for authors from the English regions. Deadline: 14th December 08.
New! 29.11.08
"develop in our pupils their ability to communicate effectively, in a variety of contexts, for a real purpose and audience. We wish
to examine how engaging with PR professionals might enhance and inspire
their ability to speak, listen, read and write. Our aim is to develop a permanent school based PR company that is run by
the pupils."
"to explore any area of their [school] grounds as a
setting to give ownership to our pupils to explore their own adventures [via] drama, storytelling or other
forms of creative practice."
1) give annual research and development (R&D) awards of up to £50,000 to leading artistic, media and technical talent to explore the creative and economic possibilities of innovative content for new and emerging media platforms.
2) [smaller] awards help you take proposals from initial concept to pilot or prototype stage, where they could attract further development funding, production investment or full commissioning.
3) [enabling] creative and digital companies and individual practitioners to work with partners anywhere in the world.
At the West Bromwich launch there’ll also be talks by 4iP (which has already launched, in Birmingham on 24th October 08), and ideas-generation activities…
“This is your chance to find out about [...] 4IP and the Digital Content Development Programme. Meet the funders and find out what they are looking for. The day will bring decision-makers from key regional arts organisations and digital agencies together [...] Up to three winning ideas created at C:CUBED will be awarded £1,000 development grants”
Sadly the event is invitation-only, but it seems that the event is to be webcast…
“This event is invitation only, but sessions will be webcast live and available online.”
New! 15.11.08
Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking creatives for an innovative and adventurous new project at Moat Hall Primary School...
1. A Professional Magician is required to work with three classes of Year 4 (8-9 year old) children over 8- 10 work days
(including planning and evaluation time). The total budget
is £2000 — to include planning, reflection and project evaluation.
2. A Ballroom Dancing Couple is required as part of a partnership project with a local performing arts high school and a
local old people's residence. The Ballroom Dancing Couple will build on the work of the Professional Magician, to specifically target confidence and performance skills with the pupils.
The total budget available for this is £1000 (to cover both dancers), to include planning, reflection and project evaluation.
Deadline for applications: 4th December 08. Creative Stoke has the full brief (PDF link).
New! 15.11.08Make Some Noise (the Youth Music Action Zone for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent) is launching a new commissioning process to identify
delivery partners. You'll deliver activity under one of four key priority areas in 2008/10: excluded groups; one-off family learning days; extended schools project
making new music; opera or music theatre. For more information, and an application pack, please contact Louise Jutton at:
louise.jutton@staffordshire.gov.uk or Tim Sharp at tim.sharp@staffordshire.gov.uk Deadline: 5th December 08.
New! 10.11.08
The city's Keeper of Archaeology, David Barker, has a new book published very soon. There's no Amazon blurb yet for
Stoke-on-Trent: The Hidden History,
but judging from the sub-title it seems likely that the book will be an overview of the area's archeology. Perhaps a book for your Christmas wish-list?
New! 10.11.08
This started today, apparently; Things to Make & Do: a week of presentations celebrating filmmaking at Staffordshire University. It seems that
"many of the events are now fully subscribed" — but there's a weblog on which there may be reports, and possibly even video/audio of the events.
New! 09.11.08
Added to the directory:
Emma Day is a recent 2:1 graduate in Crafts, from Staffordshire University. Based in Stoke-on-Trent,
Emma hand-makes contemporary jewellery from precious metals.
New! 09.11.08
The North Staffordshire Operatic Society has a new-look website at a new web address. One of the additions is a new online discussion forum.
New! 09.11.08
Jobs: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking creatives for many new projects. Once again, Creative Stoke has PDF copies of the calls for the following new paid commissions...
1. Ounsdale High School in Wombourne, Staffordshire, requires creatives who can work in the areas of design & construction, automata making, and the engineered arts.
2. Pye Green Valley Primary School welcomes ideas for "Movement in space & time" projects, from creatives working in any medium.
3. Richard Clarke First School in Abbots Bromley has a general project about "Thinking beyond the boundaries".
4. Thomas Alleyne's High School in Uttoxeter requires a practitioner or a group of practitioners to work with Year 10 students and staff to make the teaching of
Maths & English more interesting.
New! 09.11.08
Job: Staffordshire University has a vacancy at its Stoke-on-Trent campus for
a Lecturer in Media (Film) Production. You'll have extensive
experience of practical film-making in the fields of short drama and documentary, ideally as a director/producer.
Deadline 24th November 08.
New! 09.11.08
Added to the directory: Laurie Clarke - a designer and maker of acrylic paintings and mixed-media collage works, based at Barlaston.
New! 09.11.08
Added to the directory: Keramica - beautiful hand-made contemporary ceramic vases from a Stoke-on-Trent firm.
New! 04.11.08Age Concern Stafford is developing a singing project, which aims to offer people over 50 the chance to meet together, sing, and ultimately to write and perform their own material and work with musicians.
To make this happen they're looking for a small number of volunteer working musician from any kind of genre, such as: singer songwriters, a producer, or a classical instrumentalist,
who would like the chance to develop skills in a new area. You'll use your own skills to contribute to the group by researching and learning songs,
playing instruments, contributing warm-up exercises, and by reminiscing and talking about music. At the end of the process you'll contribute to what may become
a technically complex and high-profile performance at the end of the process, involving collaboration with local schools.
Induction and training take place on Wednesday 12th November 08 in Stafford.
Subject to confirmation by the Music Practitioner and Age Concern you may then be asked to commit to a regular weekly session,
starting on Wednesday 19th November from 11.30am – 1.30pm. (There will be a two-week break over Christmas). Some help with travel expenses will be available within the area.
New! 03.11.08
Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
is seeking creatives for many new projects. Creative Stoke has PDF copies of the calls for the following paid commissions...
1. Fulfen Primary School requires a film or video maker.
2. Clough Hall Technology School in Kidsgrove requires a Creative Practitioner for 'creativity & maths enquiry'.
3. Springfield Community Special School in Leek is seeking a movement/dance practitioner.
4. Chase Terrace Technology College in Burntwood requires a Creative Practitioner.
5. St. John the Evangelist Catholic Primary School requires a Creative Practitioner to help with devising ways to boost children's
problem-solving skills.
6. Springhead Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent is seeking a fine artist to work in collaboration with a dance practitioner and a drama practitioner.
New! 02.11.08
"Being creative together" is a networking drop-in event for creatives who want to work with the city's residents, and for
residents who would like to bring creatives in to work with their communities. The event is on
Friday 5th December 08, at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent. This will be the first networking event organised by
Burslem's new Community Partnerships group.
Interested? Please send this form back to cath@schoolofart.co.uk by 21st
November 2008, to book your space.
New! 01.11.08Conjunction 08 is Stoke-on-Trent's first contemporary arts biennial, and involves over 30 artists,
including 25 new commissions shown in venues across Hanley and at Staffordshire University. The Conjunction 08 website is now online, with full details of the programme...
Alongside the many exhibitions, Conjunction has a range of talks and advice-sessions aimed at professional artists. These start on Saturday 8th November from 1pm - 3pm at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, with a public talk by the head of Rhubarb Rhubarb,
Rhonda Wilson, titled "The Secret Life of the Fine Art Photographic Portfolio". And AirSpace Gallery will host three drop-in Business Advice for Artists sessions on Monday 10th November 08.
For the full range of talks, see the programme (PDF link, 160Kb) for more details and dates.
The Conjunction 08 organisers are also looking for a variety of volunteers — see the website's Opportunities page for further details.
New! 01.11.08
Designer Maker West Midlands needs three freelance mentors...
"To support three selected mid-career designer makers from the West Midlands to develop and showcase new work and access new market opportunities."
Deadline: 14th Nov 08.
New! 29.10.08
Arts East Staffs is running 'Music for Dance: a weekend course offered for dancers and musicians'...
"Music for Dance for Music aims to offer an informal, fun and enjoyable environment for musicians and dancers to
work together to create original work and give each other confidence to share their skills.
The weekend will consist of company class, breakout workshops, jamming sessions and structured improvisation.
All musicians are welcome, whether you are an instrumentalist, a percussionist or a vocalist and dancers from
any discipline from street to ballroom would benefit from this unique training opportunity."
The two-day course will take place at The Brewhouse Arts Centre, Union Street, Burton-upon-Trent, on Saturday 8th November from
2.30pm – 6pm and Sunday 9th November from 10.30am – 4.30pm. The fee is £120.
More information from: Tracey Smart at tracey.smart _at_ eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 29.10.08The Light House arts centre in Wolverhampton is running Traditional Animation Workshops on: 4th Nov / 8th Nov, and 9th Dec. Times are:
10am to 4pm...
"one day and two day workshops that will cover a range of key animation skills including timing, movement, sound and
the preparation of 3D models enabling you to explore traditional animation styles and techniques."
Cost: 1 day £70 / 2 day £150 not including Value Added Tax (to be paid at time of booking).
Including lunch and coffee/tea in Lock Works. Places on these workshops are limited, so book early. More information from Kelly Jeffs at: kelly _at_ light-house.co.uk
New! 27.10.08
REAP (Rural Education & Arts Project) are trying an innovative way of selling art this Christmas.
Rural art, photography and crafts are all set to go under the auctioneers hammer at
The Cheshire Cheese Pub in Longnor at 4.30pm on Saturday 22nd November 08, by Leek's professional auctioneer Bruce Daniel of 'Daniel & Sons'.
Pre-auction viewing will be from 2pm - 3.30pm on the same day. This event seems like an innovative way to sell contemporary art, one which other artists in
North Staffordshire may want to attend, to network and to see how it all works.
New! 25.10.08
Creative Partners in Learning has 20 places on a new round of its professional development programme aimed at using creative
interventions to improve school pupil behaviour and thus school performance. The seven training sessions will be held in Coventry between January and April 09. Deadline: 3rd November 08.
New! 25.10.08 Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is seeking
a Music Director / Choir leader / Community musician to work with Belgrave C.E. Primary School from January to June 2009.
Creative Stoke has the full project document (PDF, 80kb).
New! 20.10.08 Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is seeking
creative practitioners for a 'Movement in Words and Silence' project at Victoria Community Primary School in Burton-on-Trent.
Creative Stoke has the full project document (PDF, 20kb).
New! 20.10.08L-Plate Author is the weblog of a Stoke-on-Trent author who's writing a novel set in the city.
She's blogging the whole process, and you can follow the progress on her weblog.
New! 19.10.08 Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is seeking
creative practitioners for a 'Movement in Expression and Exchange' arts project at St. Michael's C.E. First School in Stone. There is a budget of £4,000 to co-devise innovative
approaches to literacy teaching and learning. Creative Stoke has the full project document (PDF, 20kb). Deadline: 10th November 08.
New! 15.10.08
Added to the Directory:
Stoke-on-Trent's Eye Studios is a specialist team producing audio for animation.
New! 14.10.08
'Intercom Artists Talk: Johanna Hallsten' is a public event at AirSpace Gallery on 25th October 08, from 3pm - 5pm.
Hallsten's exhibition continues until the 1st November 2008. Her talk is free, and all are welcome.
New! 14.10.08
'Cats on the Cut’ is a new photographic research-project, about people who keep their cats on the canals and rivers.
It seems to be running until Feb 2009...
"Do you keep a cat onboard your narrowboat, cruiser or barge? Or are you a lock keeper who lives in a waterside cottage
with a cat? If so, Cats on the Cut would like to hear from you. If you would like to share your stories, experiences
or anecdotes of cats on the cut, contact Linda Prince on 07887 600028 or email: catsonthecut _at_ yahoo.co.uk
New! 14.10.08
Stoke-on-Trent has an excellent network of off-road bicycle paths which, if put together with neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme, has to be fast approaching more than 100 miles.
The City Council now has an additional £4.8-million of new grants from Cycling England to spend on promoting cycling, cycle routes, cycling proficiency classes, and
new Safer Routes to Schools paths — and as such are now inviting ideas for how any unallocated money should be spent.
It's possible some of these ideas might be creative: painting up some of the cast-iron marker-posts; lantern processions; a radio documentary; day-long photography workshops using the paths; a
documentary photography series of bike commuters, etc.
New! 13.10.08
Added to the Directory: Fine printmaker and glass designer Naomi Greaves.
New! 13.10.08 Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is seeking
creative practitioners for two arts projects in local schools, for the spring 2009 term. Creative Stoke has the two calls: for
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (PDF link), a small community school of 88 children
aged 4-11, in the rural village of Brewood in Staffordshire; and Maple Court Primary School (PDF link), a large
Stoke-on-Trent school of 363 children aged 4-11, in Bentilee.
New! 11.10.08
Stoke-on-Trent band New Education are about to embark on a national tour,
including a home gig at The Underground in Stoke.
New! 11.10.08
Added to the Directory: Stoke-on-Trent -based dark fantasy author Michael Stone has a personal website, and an active weblog
My left eye sees...things.
His new 2008 book Fourtold is available on Amazon, with a foreword by Garry Kilworth.
"Michael Stone is a vivid and exuberant writer, and a terrific storyteller." Graham Joyce — winner of several British Fantasy Awards and a World Fantasy Award.
New! 04.10.08
The Craft Pottery Charitable Trust award for 2009 is now open for applications, until 15th December 08.
This is a national annual grant scheme, open to all UK ceramists. Guidelines are available from lizgale _at_ interalpha.co.uk
New! 04.10.08Script is offering a 4-day Poised for Flight: Introduction to Screenwriting Course for writers with disabilities. 8th-9th and then 22nd and 29th November 08, at the The Light House in Wolverhampton. £90 (£60).
New! 04.10.08
Added to the Directory: Gorsty Hill Studio, Matt Bishop's recording studio in Tean, Staffordshire.
New! 03.10.08
The UK Film Council's Digital Film and Archive Fund (DFAF)
is current seeking ideas for... "innovative, strategic projects based on using film heritage
content, to create an online film archive". Some of the Fund is earmarked for the West Midlands.
If you have an idea for what a new film archive could be about, then the 'Expression of Interest' deadline is
31st October 08. If your idea is considered promising, then you would be invited to make a full application.
New! 03.10.08
Our Stoke-based Ceramic Industry Forum (CIF) is offering a new free 'Marketing Network' service to small firms.
This is a...
"unique, high impact marketing support programme available to small companies [...] delivered by experienced
marketeers who have worked with large and small companies and who understand the marketing, branding and selling processes".
Participating companies will be offered a launch event, plus a... "thorough marketing audit, some relevant research and the development of a strategic plan".
Full information and contact details are available here (PDF, 400kb).
New! 03.10.08
'Making Connections' is the name of a free and informal arts networking event in nearby Burton-upon-Trent, aimed at those based in East Staffordshire.
The event will be on Wednesday 8th October 08, 7pm at The Brewhouse Arts Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, on the theme of...
"funding schemes and opportunities available to arts practitioners in this area".
Speakers will include Community Arts Officer Paul Challacombe, presenting an overview of what Making Connections aims to be. There will also be speakers from
Business Link West Midlands and their training partner
Creative Launchpad.
Places can be booked via the Brewhouse Box Office on 01283 508100, or further information
can be had from Paul Challacombe at: paul.challacombe@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 03.10.08
We have the official opening date of North Staffordshire's new £10.5m ceramics museum, The Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston near Stoke-on-Trent. It will open on 24th October 08, showing
6,000 items and over 600 pattern books. There is also a schools education centre, and a reference library. The building was designed by local architects Hulme Upright Manning.
If you wish to support the Museum, there's a Friends of the Wedgwood Museum group.
New! 01.10.08
Birmingham's First Light Movies, a digital filmmaking initiative for young people (5-19), is running an "Introduction to First Light Movies for film professionals" event on
Wednesday 22nd October 2008, 10am – 1pm. The event is aimed at...
"organisations that work with young people, as well as filmmakers, who would like to find out about opportunities through our funding schemes. ... Spaces are
limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. To book a place please email simon@firstlightmovies.com with your contact details (postal address, telephone)
as well as your dietary requirements as a light lunch will be provided, and whether you agree to share your details with the other attendees for a contact list.
If you have any queries please call us on 0121 753 4866."
New! 01.10.08
Added to the Directory: Photographer Vicky Martin has a new personal website
with details of her creative work and recent exhibitions. Vicky was a Rhubarb Rhubarb 2008 bursary winner,
and was part of the recent RIPE show
at The Light House in Wolverhampton. She currently has work on show at the Potteries Museum and
Art Gallery as part of Open 08.
Vicky is also an Outreach & Community Development Officer based at Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 30.09.08
There's to be a one-day conference on the writing industry, aimed at
West Midlands writers, in Birmingham on Sat 18th Oct 08...
"The Writers' Toolkit is a day for emerging and established writers and anyone working in the writing industry to learn about aspects of the business
in greater detail, connect with other writers and those working in writer development. A mixture of presentations,
seminars, question and answer sessions and discussions, it will bring together people and organisations concerned
with writing in the West Midlands. Sessions will include - pitching ideas for stage and screen, teaching creative writing,
becoming a business, publishing and using an agent, working with BBC radio, careers in literature development,
producing live literature and many more"
New! 30.09.08
Aston Villa F.C.'s new community online-video service, V Cube, is seeking
original ideas for documentaries featuring local people in the West Midlands. They are concentrating on programmes...
"designed to raise educational attainment, community regeneration, voice health issues, promoting development of the arts, and lifelong-learning projects".
More information from: iris_production _at_ yahoo.co.uk
New! 29.09.08
The management of Frontline Dance, one of Creative Stoke's past interviewees, requires new board members.
Ideally you'll be able to bring skills in funding, marketing, and/or business finance to the organisation. Frontline has its annual AGM on 13th October 08.
More information from Rachel Lines at: rachael _at_ frontlinedance.org.uk
New! 26.09.08
Coventry's Talking Birds, a newly-funded Arts Council organisation, are putting on a one-day
theatre event at Birmingham's Custard Factory. Pilot will be on 18th December 08,
and for it they're looking... "for theatre companies of nerve, wit, ambition [ and ] a 10 to 20 minute
fragment of a show which you'd like to test out in front of a smart and supportive audience".
Five theatre companies will be chosen, and... "there's an actual fee too, as if further incentives were even necessary".
Deadline: 9am on 30th October 08. Submission details are online here.
New! 26.09.08
Added to the Directory: Black Cat Theatre is a 'Theatre in Education' theatre company based in Stoke-on-Trent.
Black Cat Theatre have toured both nationally and internationally, and have a professional script writer on the team. Black Cat is currently seeking local
schools who want to use an experienced 'Theatre in Education' troupe. They also run workshops for children during the half-term holidays.
New! 26.09.08
Birmingham's Plus+ Festival features the best in national and international
graphic and typographic design. Plus+ is currently offering five bursaries to those working in... "paper-based work, 2D or 3D work, installation, or screen media."
If you win one of the bursaries you'll get £200 to help you show your work at the Plus+ Festival. The submission process is:
* outline proposal of no more than 500-words
* an abbreviated C.V. as an MS Word .doc
* up to five low-res JPG images
Email to: info _at_ youplusus.net by noon on 3rd October 08.
Full-length details are available here.
New! 25.09.08The Big Draw 2008 will be holding a free workshop at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent.
The date will be Saturday 25th October 08, from 2pm to 5pm, and the workshop will be led by textile artist
Rachel Grant... "to create a huge alternative map of North Staffordshire". More details from: info@uvns.org
New! 24.09.08
Creative Stoke readers now have an official Facebook group. Everyone welcome!
New! 24.09.08
Keele University Art Gallery has just published the Autumn/Winter 2008/09 programme of practical arts workshops at the gallery.
These include painting with masters such as David Gleeson, and also Chinese brush painting, calligraphy, and embroidery. The first workshop is on 1st November 08. Sign up early, as tickets are
sure to sell out quickly.
New! 24.09.08
Keele University has a new M.A. degree in Creative Writing, with start-dates in September and January.
New! 24.09.08
Keele University will be running a Keele Short Story Prize competition this coming autumn/winter. It's open to all those who live in Staffordshire.
The deadline is Valentine's Day 2009, and there's a top prize of £300. There's also an accompanying programme of poetry readings at Keele.
New! 24.09.08
If you're interested in what's happening down in nearby Burton-on-Trent, there's a new In Burton weblog which is currently doing a fine job of
publicising the town's festivals, gigs and other cultural events.
New! 24.09.08
Keele University is hosting a free public lecture by antiques expert Paul Atterbury (BBC Antiques Roadshow). The lecture will be about the emergence
of the ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent. The Keele Honorary Graduate Lecture will be on Tuesday 21st October 08, at 6.30pm in the University's Westminster Theatre.
The lecture is free of charge, but it is necessary to reserve a seat — email: whatson@kfm.keele.ac.uk
New! 24.09.08
Added to the Directory: Focal Radio is a new digital-only commercial radio station that will launch on the North Staffordshire and Cheshire DAB digital radio multiplex on 5th November 08.
Focal will offer "community orientated programming" and "the best music from the past four decades." The Focal studio will be in Burslem, due for completion in the new year.
Presenters signed up, so far, include Sam Plank.
New! 24.09.08
Are you considering starting a new business or social enterprise in the Staffordshire Moorlands? If so, Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent are running a
free seminar for you at Rudyard Lake Information Centre on 1st October 08. More details from Miriam on 01782 683030 or email m.adams _at_ vast.org.uk
New! 21.09.08
Today your editor and volunteer photographer Brenda Griffiths visited some of the North Staffordshire Open Studios with cameras — and we
have a new 16-photo gallery online, showing some of the artists and their work...
The same artists' studios are all open again next weekend too (27th & 28th September 08). Free, and not to be missed! Full directions and times are on the Staffordshire Open Studios website.
New! 21.09.08
There's a Sunday life-drawing/painting group meeting, with life models, at The Barracks in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The mornings run from 19th October until 14th December 08,
and cost £5 for the mornings (11am-1pm) or £7 for the afternoons (1.30pm-4.30pm). More details from Charles on: 01782 399067 or email: c.e.walker@staffs.ac.uk
New! 20.09.08
The Burslem Fringe Festival organisers are holding an open meeting to decide on how St. John's Square (the main market square)
could be used more effectively, for markets, festivals, and other outdoor cultural uses. Weds 24th September 08, from 7.30pm, at the George Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. More information from:
sara _at_ saraaustin.com
New! 20.09.08
Should you, or your business, be looking for a mobile broadband solution for your laptop — the July 08 edition of the UK's PC Pro magazine now has
its in-depth group-test article online for free.
New! 19.09.08
Stoke-on-Trent photographer Catherine Buca has recently set up an online shop
with Etsy,
one of the easiest and most interesting e-commerce services for crafts makers and other creatives who make objects by hand.
Some readers will already know Catherine as one of the leading
voices at the Stoke-on-Trent Flickr group, and as the author of a local blog.
New! 18.09.08
YouTube has a well-made short video on the 100-year history of North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra. It seems there's a longer
story to tell here, should film-making students at Staffordshire University be looking for a local subject for a new documentary.
The video mentions a book on the history of the North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra. This can be purchased
from the Orchestra's order-form page, or
from Amazon UK.
The author Kathy Niblett also has other books, on local ceramics history, available from Amazon.
New! 17.09.08
There's a call out for five new commissions for the new mac arts centre in Birmingham, currently being rebuilt.
"The key aim of the commissions within the building is to enhance the visitor experience and animate the new public spaces through contemporary arts practice ... commissioned works will be sited within or in close proximity to the new mac building. Works may be integrated into the fabric of the building, stand-alone, functional, on-line and/or interactive. We are keen to encourage commissions using digital and new media."
Deadline: 29th September 08. Full details from: louisa.davies@macarts.co.uk
New! 17.09.08
Added to the Directory: Pen People is a national calligraphy magazine published from North Staffordshire.
If you'd like to meet some of the people behind the magazine and try your hand at some penmanship, then book now for a series of three public classes
(£10 for all three classes) run by the North Staffs Scribes calligraphy group. The first class will be on 2nd October 08, from 7pm
at The Methodist Rooms in Merrial St., Newcastle-under-Lyme. More information from Trevor Miles, on 01782 634887 or email editors _at_ penpeople.org.uk
New! 16.09.08
Added to the Directory: The Radical Press is a lively new online news outlet for
Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 15.09.08
Stoke-on-Trent's new Upstart website is an excellent addition to our developing
contemporary music scene in North Staffordshire. Those looking for band / label / music management advice may like to note that Upstart's editor is currently offering... "a free management consultation".
New! 15.09.08Darwin 200 is an extensive national programme of events celebrating Charles Darwin's scientific ideas
and their impact around his two hundredth birthday on 12 February 2009. Darwin, as you'll remember, was a local man from nearby Shrewsbury. His father, Erasmus, strongly
influenced the young Stoke-on-Trent inventor of photography Thomas Wedgwood.
The 2009 Darwin 200 events are rather science oriented, but more exhibitions and creative events are sure to emerge as we head toward Christmas and the New Year.
Since many children will be getting Spore for Christmas, there may
be possibilities of linking Darwin 200 with some local Spore creature creator workshops, as a lead-in to activities such as comic-book or machinima -making workshops.
New! 15.09.08
Added to the Events Diary: Nicholas Corder will be running a series of writing workshops at libraries around Stoke-on-Trent
in Autumn/Winter 08. Of particular interest is the "Write On Writers' Group, Inaugural Meeting" on 22nd November 08...
"We are hoping to establish a self-managing group for writers who want genuine feedback on their work. This will be a
forum for writers who hope to take their work to a higher level, perhaps with a view to publication and performance.
If you are interested in prose fiction, poetry or writing for the stage or screen, please do come along."
This will be followed by a "Stoke City Libraries Writers' Weekend" at Wedgwood Memorial College on 6th-7th December 08.
New! 15.09.08
Staffordshire University now has an online catalogue and archive for the 2008 summer graduate art & design shows.
New! 14.09.08
The Stone-based design firm Project Mapping was recently commissioned to
create an infographic map of the UK rail system, and has kindly placed a huge A2-sized PDF of the map online for free.
New! 14.09.08
All of Creative Stoke's 'Directory' external web links have been checked by hand. About 25 dead, ISP, and domain-hijacked websites have been deleted from the Directory. About 20 links have been repaired. Also: Creative Stoke now has a new
RSS news feed,
which carries the news on this "What's New?" page.
New! 14.09.08
The brand-new Stoke Sounds music weblog has a report on the recent AirSpace exhibition in Stoke-on-Trent by Danny Hill & Darren Washington.
New! 14.09.08
Creative Stoke has replaced the old public message-board with a shiny new Yahoo! discussion group. Sign up, and get chatting to other readers!
New! 14.09.08
The Stoke-on-Trent Festival has a new website, and full details of their large programme of classical music in 2008 and 2009.
New! 14.09.08
Fuller details are emerging of the new business accommodation that'll be sited at Chatterley Valley (just north-west of Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent).
The £11-million investment in the new-build eco-friendly North Staffs Enterprise Centre (NSEC) will see 94 office suites being created. NSEC is aimed at...
"providing accommodation for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises" according to a recent email from Advantage West Midlands.
Fully-furnished and serviced office suites at NSEC... "will range from 178 to 1,838 sq ft". Rest areas and IT support are provided.
There will also be... "managed workshop units from 1,077 to 3,656 sq ft", and these will be available together with the offices on flexible agreements.
The workshop scheme is expected to be completed by Christmas 08, with the serviced office centre ready by June 09.
If you're planning to move/expand/start your creative business around that time,
it might be worth getting in touch with Northern Trust to see what the North Staffordshire Enterprise Centre will be able to offer your business.
New! 14.09.08
Thanks to Les Byatt, who's managed to get in touch with Stoke Camera Club. They're still running, and write that they...
"meet every Thursday evening at Wellington Road Community Centre based at Dresden Street, Hanley, just off Commercial Road.
We usually arrive at about 7.30pm and start at 7.45pm. We have a break for tea/coffee and biscuits. We are a friendly
club and will certainly make you welcome."
New! 13.09.08
Hanley's contemporary AirSpace gallery has several exhibition openings coming up. If you missed the most recent launch (Fri 5th Sept)
due to the torrential rain, there are also exhibitions with launch events on 19th September from 7pm–9pm (Chester-based artist Simon Kennedy), and 10th October from 7-9pm (Swedish artist Johanna Hallsten).
Sure to be good for nibbles and networking with fellow artists.
New! 13.09.08
Many of the thousands of creative students who will shortly be returning to university in North Staffordshire may find themselves in need of a part-time job.
Staffordshire University now has a new "JobZone" online service
to help students find part-time work while they study. Local employers can also advertise part-time or vacation vacancies to up to 15,000 students — for free.
New! 13.09.08
Added to the Events Diary: Prepare for 2012 is a workshop event at Keele University, on 14th October 08. This event is hosted by the Confederation
of West Midlands Chambers of Commerce, and aims to...
"inform firms of the opportunities from the London 2012 Olympics that could boost your bottom line
and how you could be involved."
More information from: info _at_ wmbusinesscouncil.org.uk
New! 10.09.08
The makers of the feature film Souled Out (see below) still need extras in Stoke-on-Trent...
Monday the 15th Sept — Preferably for this day we need people aged under 30.
We would not need people until around 5pm and they must be willing to
stay until midnight!
Tuesday the 16th Sept — For this day we would like a mix of ages but
preferably those over thirty. These are scenes in which we really need older
people. Its a great chance for those of you who want to be involved in the
film but haven't had much opportunity to get on camera! We would need people
to be available from midday to 11pm.
Friday the 19th / Sat the 20th Sept — If you live in the area and want to get
involved then this is your last chance as these are out final days in Stoke-on-Trent!
The hours for Fridy are 9am-8pm and the hours for Sat are 8am-7pm. these
two days are crucial for us as we are finishing our shots of Wigan Casino in
the Kings Hall. If you've come for one of our big days before then it would
be great to have to back. These scenes are really crucial to the film, we
need big crowds to recreate on film the essence of what made the Wigan
Casino so unique. All ages are welcome and it would be great to get as many
new faces as possible, so invite as many friends and family as possible.
Contact details are below (scroll down this page)...
New! 30.08.08
Some of the many Heritage Open Days in the West Midlands, happening between 11th-14th Sept 08, will be of interest to photographers.
Sadly, it seems that Chatterley Whitfield in Stoke-on-Trent is already fully-booked on all tours.
New! 30.08.08
The nearby Green Wood Trust (near Telford in Shropshire) have their Autumn 2008
short-courses brochure online (PDF link, 2.7Mb), offering country crafts in wood. Make your own longbow, coracle, or even a tree-toilet.
New! 27.08.08
Creative Stoke now has the flyer for the 5th meeting of the Literary Forum for Stoke-on-Trent, at
The Film Theatre in Stoke...
Click for larger version.
New! 27.08.08
All of Creative Stoke's internal & external web-links have been checked for viability by automatic link-checking software.
As a result, 15 dead links have been deleted, 12 moved links have been relocated & repaired. If anyone knows the online whereabouts of:-
Match Print; J.W. Hand & Partners Ltd; Dominic Ball Woodwind; CP Recordings; The Exclusive fanzine; Staffordshire AmDram; Churnet Contemporary Arts; Northern Counties Photographers;
or Stoke Rock Scene, then please make contact.
Please note that the links on the old 'What's New' & 'Events' archive pages have not been checked & repaired. To prevent Creative Stoke getting a bad reputation among
search-engines for broken links, the old 'What's New' & 'Events' archive pages are now only available in PDF form (1.2Mb).
New! 27.08.08Keele University Art Gallery has a new web address and website.
New! 26.08.08
Added to the Directory: Keywork Design is a firm based in Cheddleton, offering
digital illustration for various business sectors, bespoke on-line media tools for management, and the design of specialist infographics tools such as the one seen below...
New! 26.08.08
Pippa writes that film extras are wanted on Thursday 28th Aug 08 (it's an all-day commitment) for the Northern Soul feature-film Souled Out.
Filming began in Stoke-on-Trent last week and the film's producers are looking for volunteer extras to take part
for...
"a massive dance scene which will recreate the vibe of 1974 at Wigan Casino".
If you're interested, available, and can get to Stoke old town (filming is at The Kings Hall in Stoke town) on Thursday then place your details
on this page and they'll call you back ASAP. "Age 16+, you don't need any experience or skills, just enthusiasm!" writes Pippa.
New! 26.08.08
Added to the Directory: Monica Grohmann is a ceramist and artist, now based at Knighton.
New! 26.08.08Dominic Took writes to say that the 5th meeting of the Literary Forum for Stoke-on-Trent will be on 17th September 08, at
The Film Theatre in Stoke.
New! 26.08.08
Job: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council require a part-time Heritage and Learning Officer. Closing Date: 22nd September 08.
New! 26.08.08
Those interested in the history of art & design in Stoke-on-Trent may be interested
in Made in (Middle) England: Design, Consumption and the Arts in the Midlands, a one-day conference for cultural historians.
The University of Birmingham, 23rd March 2009, from 10am - 5.30pm.
New! 26.08.08
Nearby Cheadle has an expert cycling photographer. Chris Lees Photography is putting the finishing touches to a new studio
and is having a launch party at the studio on the 5th September 08, 6-9 pm, with drinks and nibbles. Likely to be a good networking opportunity for meeting fellow outdoor sports
photographers. More information from Chris on his new phone number: 01538 756330.
It seems very appropriate to hear about Chris now, what with our cycling success in the Olympics, Stoke winning a £10-million grant to further improve our
100-mile cycle network,
and The Tour of Britain 2008 coming to Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday 10th September 08 (finishing in Hanley at about 1.50pm).
New! 25.08.08
The editor of Potteries.org was out photographing Green Men in July 08, and he has a fine new gallery.
And with an odd synchronicity, there's also a recent gallery of Stoke's Victorian terrace house gargoyles on Flickr.
New! 25.08.08Partners in Participatory Arts is a new scheme giving work placements to community artists in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
New! 24.08.08
The Creative Communities unit at Staffordshire University
is having an Open Day. It'll be on 17th September 08, from noon until 6pm
at Cadman Building, College Road (just around the corner from Stoke-on-Trent train station). As part of the day there will be
a free lunchtime 'taster' workshop (1pm to 2pm in 'The Learning Exchange', 2nd Floor of the Flaxman Building, College Road) on "How to involve communities".
Please phone or email to book a place. The same workshop will run again on 8th October 2008, again from 1pm to 2pm. This will be followed by another 'taster',
"How to conduct a community audit" on 18th November 08 (1pm to 2pm) — this time at Room BL125, Faculty of Health, Stafford campus.
For more information about the Open Day and workshops contact: creativecommunities@staffs.ac.uk
New! 24.08.08
There's another round of the European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE) scheme which will distribute
"sixteen production awards to emerging media art talent" in the form of two month residencies in 2009 with Impakt
(Netherlands); Werkleitz Gesellschaft (Germany); or Interspace (Bulgaria). It'll also see European artists coming
to VIVID in Birmingham. Application form (PDF link). Deadline: 20th Oct 08.
New! 24.08.08
If you were to wheel a push-chair from south to north through Stoke-on-Trent, with a camera in it, what would it see?
Brighton's Gavin Peacock had a go. Sadly, it seems no-one bothered to tell him that there's a nice canal-side path
that shadows his route up the valley. View his movie here (Quicktime .mov 6mb).
New! 24.08.08
We've just found out that the Stoke-on-Trent -based "Place, Space & Identity" commission had an excellent weblog
accompanying the project by Liz Lock and Mishka Henner, two Directors of Manchester's Redeye photography network. Lock & Henner photographed:
a B Arts performance of CLAY in Burslem; The Wizard of Oz performers in the car park at the New Vic Theatre; the North Staffordshire Afro-Caribbean Association; a wresting group at Ravenside;
and officials at Renew.
Sadly Creative Stoke wasn't able to publicise the final event/show and book in June because we simply didn't know about it — a full search for either Liz Lock or Mishka Henner in the Creative Stoke
in-box / desktop-search gives no results.
This final event in June 08 was apparently also accompanied by the Arts Council event "Know Talk Share" at Staffordshire University... "an opportunity for
artists, academics, planners, urban designers, regeneration specialists, architects and developers to talk together in a professional environment about creative approaches to
issues and challenges of regeneration in North Staffordshire". Our apologies, that we were not able to inform readers about these notable events in Stoke.
New! 24.08.08
There's to be a new round of artist commissions for "Place, Space & Identity" work, taking place between January and March 2009.
The brief will be available from 1st September 08. To register your interest, email: angelatawn@pandaemonium.biz
New! 23.08.08
Tutbury Teen Campaign is seeking an accomplished visual artist to consult on, design and produce a durable and vandal-proof feature piece of art for a park near Burton-on-Trent. The successful artist will
consult with the local youth group and the local community during October 08. The finished design will be completed in mid November 08, and will then be on show at community venues.
It is expected that the art will be installed by March 09. You will have a proven track record in delivering public and community arts projects.
Fee: £6,000, to include development work, workshops, production, material costs and installation supervision.
Deadline for submissions: 19th September 08. Interested? Full details from Paul Challacombe at Community Arts East Staffordshire paul.challacombe _at_ eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 23.08.08
The next exhibition at Hanley's AirSpace Gallery is by
local photographer Darren Washington and local writer Danny Hill, about
the changes that the area around Stoke-on-Trent city centre is undergoing.
"Th' bulldozers came last wayk; thee didna waste any tarme...
Now, ow ah can see from mar back yard is a sea of debris,
red, black 'n' grey; and th' tide stretches back as far as thayse tired owd eyes of marne can see fer.
Pretty soon, ah suppose, ah'll bay the eownly one arahind 'ere that's left..."
The launch of Tales From A Changing City is on 5th September 08, 7pm-9pm, and it
seems like a good opportunity for networking and meeting others interested in art about local concerns. The show then runs until 12th September 08.
New! 22.08.08
The West Midlands Animation Forum has issued a new and detailed report on the state of animation production in the region (PDF link). It has the news that...
"After completing a series of celebrated TV adverts for companies such as The
Famous Grouse and Fairy Liquid, Stoke-on-Trent-based SMA Studios
are now planning to incorporate and expand the company to 30+ animators in
order to produce a feature-film and two high-profile TV series in the region."
New! 22.08.08
The Michelin Development Fund has £1-million of unsecured loans (from £5,000 each) on offer to small businesses in North Staffordshire, to place before summer 2009. They don't seem to
have a website, but can be contacted on freephone: 0800 056 2007.
New! 22.08.08
Caron Colbert writes from Urban Vision North Staffordshire, based in Burslem.
They are currently advertising for volunteer Trustees to sit on the board, and they would like to hear from Stoke-on-Trent people who may have an interest in architecture
and the design of urban spaces. More information is available from caron.colbert _at_ uvns.org
New! 22.08.08
30th September 08 is the deadline for visual creatives to claim a share of the £3-million DACS fund.
If you've had work published in a British magazine or newspaper,
or seen on a TV programme, yet not been paid for it — then applying could get you a DACS cheque. The money is raised from
the annual photocopying & video/TV/DVD duplication licenses paid
for by schools & colleges.
New! 22.08.08
Added to the Directory: Chris Guest writes to say that he... "co-runs a community arts company called Creative Arts North Staffs (CANS)." CANS
works with hard-to-reach communities, and... "encourages the use of
artistic activities to support community development and improve quality of life. [...] We often work in areas where there are social, cultural or environmental issues
to be addressed, and have many years experience of working with young people. We often assist Youth Services in project work in race, gender, disability, health and
the environment, and are highly experienced in working with the following groups: young people from disadvantaged backgrounds; young offenders; mental health user groups;
ethnic minorities; the elderly; substance misusers; people with disabilities."
Above: Sentinel photo from CANS's Flickr stream. CANS can be contacted at: 07912 846248 (Chris, left in photo), 07984 869194
(Grega, right in photo) or email: creativeartsnorthstaffs _at_ googlemail.com
New! 22.08.08
Stoke-on-Trent City Council Youth Services have been allocated £452,000 of taxpayer funding to improve local youth facilities.
Over the summer they will identify five or six centres to invest in, and will be looking for young local designers to become involved in the project.
"... we will produce a brief for designers to work from. We would then expect the designers to present their ideas to young people who will pick whom
they would like to work with. It may be a different designer for each project,
or one designer to do the lot, this will be the young people's decision."
More details from Pat Shelley and Sam Heath at Youth Services at sam.heath _at_ stoke.gov.uk
Stoke-on-Trent Youth Services has also recently launched a new dedicated website, with details of their
Youth Opportunity Fund that gives up to £15,000 to youth-led community projects....
New! 22.08.08
Staffordshire Arts & Museums service are currently discounting their Consultation Through Creativity publication
from £15 to £10.
New! 22.08.08
The winners of the Staffordshire Open Art 08 have been announced.
New! 22.08.08
Coming up soon, over two weekends in September 08, the annual Staffordshire Open Studios events.
New! 22.08.08
Creative Stoke's listings of local camera clubs and photographic societies have now been updated and expanded on the Visual Arts page of the Directory.
The following have been added, or else now have websites where before they didn't: Crewe Photographic Society;
Leek Photography Club; Stafford Photographic Society;
Burton-on-Trent Photographic Society; and the Stoke-on-Trent Flickr group.
If anyone knows if Stoke-on-Trent Camera Club is still running, then please get in touch.
New! 22.08.08
Many Creative Stoke readers will also be photographers, accustomed to the firmly established right to photograph in public places. Now that the UK faces what
amounts to a state-sponsored "war on photographers",
it seems useful to point here to a few key resources on our legal right to photograph in public places....
The main online resource is the free PDF file "UK photographers rights: a short guide to photographers rights in the UK". This is a concise two-page guide published in
2004 by Linda Macpherson, a lecturer in law at Heriot Watt University. Other online resources are: i) from the venerable Urban 75, which has issued a 2008 protestors guide to photographers rights; and ii)
the UK Bureau of Freelance Photographers has recently issued its 7,000 members with a photographers rights card
(the page linked has a scan of the card).
Those seeking further advice relevant to the UK could consult the books The Photographer and the Law (1997) by Don Cassell,
and The Law of Photography and Digital Images (2004) by Christina Michalos.
The latter is an expensive tome meant for the offices of lawyers — but a Times article by Michalos, putting the gist of her book into everyday language, is available here.
In regards to reportage — it should be further noted that... i) the Data Protection Act has an exemption for photos by journalists and artists; and that... ii)
journalists have additional exemption from copyright when photographing copyrighted items of "artistic craftsmanship" (even if these
might be "temporarily situated", as in a gallery show freely open to the public), if the photographs are for the purpose of "making a published review".
The above is intended purely as a broad outline of your rights and is not a definitive legal statement and is not to be relied on.
New! 22.08.08
The Dovedale Arts Weekend is in the nearby Peak District on
19th - 21st September 08. It's a new small arts & literature festival with big names — it features intimate talks or demonstrations by Matthew Parris,
Georgina Harding, Nicholas Crane, Ronald Rae, ceramic artist Emma Bridgewater, and Wendy Cope, among others.
New! 22.08.08
The 'Land of the Churnet' project at Borderland Voices is now seeking further small-scale proposals to conclude this arts project in the Staffordshire Moorlands,
in Autumn 09. Ideas for additional funding are also welcome. More information from Mrs Andy Collins at: andy _at_ landofthechurnet.org.uk
New! 22.08.08
Gareth Mayer writes from Newcastle-under-Lyme area to say that he's part of a local comedy group called Egg, and to say that the group is now seeking dedicated new members.
Also welcome are people to help behind recording equipment, with scripts, or just offer any support.
At the present, Egg is working on a comedy radio play. Interested? More information from: gazmayer69 _at_ aol.com
New! 22.08.08
Added to the Directory:
Matt Mitchell writes to say that he's recently moved to North Staffordshire. His fresh & tasty illustration/design work can be seen at his website Repeat Pattern.
New! 22.08.08
There's a new 'Artist Professional Development Programme' in Arts & Health, for established organisations. It's accredited via Staffordshire University.
West Midlands organisations will have the opportunity to work with an artist to carry out a health-based project or arts
commission. All commissions are expected to take place from January to April 2009.
Are you part of an organisation that might be interested? For an informal conversation and a copy of the Commissioner's Information Pack
please contact: Nina Jowett at nina _at_ creativityteam.co.uk
Registration close on 29th August 08.
New! 22.08.08
Anna Francis has a weblog for her "There is Beauty in the City" project.
New! 22.08.08
Job: Newcastle-under-Lyme Council has a vacancy for a part-time Community Arts Officer. Deadline: 22nd Sept 08.
New! 22.08.08
Added to the Directory: Katie Shipley, based in Leek,
is a practising contemporary artist and is able to deliver arts workshops. Visit her new website for
more information.
New! 22.08.08 Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is looking for an 'Evaluation Framework Partner'
on a freelance contract. You'll work for 91 days between Sept 08 – July 09 and earn £13,650.
Deadline: 10th September 08. Creative Stoke has the full job description online (PDF link).
New! 22.08.08 The ‘Doing Music Justice’ scheme is now recruiting for
a professional development programme aimed at experienced West Midlands musicians. It runs between Autumn 08 – Spring 09 and provides...
"intensive training and shadowing opportunities in youth justice settings in the West Midlands". Full details from: west-midlands _at_ musicleader.net
New! 22.08.08
Glyndebourne Education will be presenting a Performance for Schools: Stoke,
for the first time in Stoke-on-Trent. The performance is The Magic Flute at the Regent Theatre on Friday 14th Nov 08, at 3pm. They write that...
"This performance is an exciting opportunity to introduce large numbers of students to opera, or to enhance an already established interest in the art form.
A full series of support materials and workshops are available for students and teachers, exploring the ways in which these performances can integrate
and accompany the exploration of music, literature and drama."
New! 22.08.08
There's to be a business training workshop on "Successful Selling & Marketing" at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent, on 18th Sept 08.
More information from Olivia at: info _at_ creativelaunchpad.co.uk
New! 22.08.08 The Coalfields Regeneration Fund,
which offers small-scale community-led project grants in ex-coalmining areas,
has just gained an extra three years of life and funding. Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and the Staffordshire Moorlands, are all eligible areas. It seems to Creative Stoke that local organisations such as Gay Stoke, the
Stoke Archeology Society (see their website for a gallery of recently-discovered local ceramics), and
the North Staffordshire Allotments Association, may be among the many possible organisations that
local creatives might approach to suggest potential collaborative grant/project applications.
~~ Summer holidays ~~New! 20.07.08
Creative Stoke is now taking a summer break, as it did in previous years.
Enjoy your own holidays; and please keep sending in information, new links, and ideas;
the site will be updated with these toward the end of August 08.
New! 10.07.08
We're very pleased to have a new exclusive gallery of documentary pictures. They were made by 19-year old Dale Keates as part of his
pre-degree Foundation (aka 'Level Zero') course at Staffordshire University. Judging by these excellent and sympathetic portraits of older local people, which were on show in June at the annual end-of-year exhibition,
Dale is already a fine documentary photographer...
New! 10.07.0812 Go To The Hills: a weekend break to the Clent Hills "for artists working in live art from the West Midlands conurbation. A chance to play in the great outdoors, and to explore how our city-based practices fare when set free in an “open space” without walls". 9th - 10th August 08. Deadline: 21st July 08.
New! 10.07.08
Stoke-on-Trent's international exhibition designers Envisage have a new website. Chris Cotterill of
Envisage writes...
"We are a creative company employing six designers working on a number of international exhibition projects. Annexed to our studio is a workshop with
fifteen craftspeople creating bespoke displays for exhibitions and museums. Currently there is a vacancy in our projects office. This would suit a
person who loves taking a design through to the finished item."
More information from: chris _at_ enviz.co.uk
New! 10.07.08
Lee Baker is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Stoke-on-Trent, and Lee has recently built and launched a new website...
New! 10.07.08
Creative Launchpad are set to provide training and advice sessions for potential businesses in Stoke-on-Trent which want to set up and begin trading. The sessions will be held at the
Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent, between July and Christmas 08. The topics will include:-
Business planning for a successful creative business / Successful selling and targeted marketing / Riding the rollercoaster / and
Successful selling and targeted marketing. Details are here (Word .doc).
More information from: info@creativelaunchpad.co.uk
New! 30.06.08
Gabriella Gay writes from Newcastle-under-Lyme, to say that there is a new free performing arts group being held on Wednesday mornings (10am-noon) at the Victora Hall, Hanley.
Art Link is a mixed group that takes part in dance, drama and singing for adults, with professional tutors, and there are many opportunities to perform.
The group is part of the community programme at St Margaret Ward School.
Interested? Phone the Art Link number, 01782 233016, during school office hours.
New! 25.06.08
Is it still possible to make commercial videogames while retaining complete creative control? Yes it is, and your
editor can highly recommend the completely free
Wintermute Engine v.1.8 + lessons book. Wintermute is
a sophisticated and well-polished engine for making Myst-style point & click adventure games. Wintermute is completely 'royalties-free', so you can freely sell any games you make with it.
A less powerful alternative for non-coders might be the free Lassie. Unlike Wintermute, Lassie outputs Flash — but you can't freely sell your game.
With videogames set to become a $68.4 billion industry by 2012, overtaking all other forms of entertainment media, it's
encouraging to think that dedicated back-bedroom coders can still single-handedly produce well-reviewed commercial adventure games such as The Lost Crown: a ghosthunting adventure (built using Wintermute).
New! 25.06.08
Stoke-on-Trent's FRONTLINEdance seek a costume and set designer for their newest project, "A Game of 2 Arfs" (Sat 9th August, Hanley).
You'll have the support of a costume assistant and production team. More details from: claire.e.marshall +at+ talk21.com
New! 25.06.08
Birmingham's Screen Media Lab has four places available on their 'Insight Out' programme. West Midlands applicants must first
show they have 18 months of solid work experience in producing moving images. If you're chosen, you receive
five workshops per month, focussing on different aspects of the distribution and marketing. In March 09, trainees will pitch
for funding to complete their film, for secure distribution. The organisers say: "All aspects of the moving image are welcome; film, TV,
documentary, animation". More information from: Helen Brown, helen.brown +at+ bcu.ac.uk
New! 22.06.08
Added to the Directory:
Robert Such — a Stoke-on-Trent -based architectural photographer and journalist.
New! 20.06.08
The annual Staffordshire Open Studios event now has 2008 dates and locations online.
New! 19.06.08
Added to the Directory:
Aerial Eyes — specialist low-altitude aerial photographers, based in Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent.
.New! 06.06.08
Our pick from the art & design shows (launched tonight, until 14th June) at Staffordshire University:—
James Pogson's pictures of female Thai boxers...
Kate Jubb's pictures of pets...
Alex Perry's pictures of female football players, and Rising Stars Youth Group...
Rebecca Edmonds' immersive room-sized 'weathered' landscape...
Nasim Sadigh's "The Bibi Girls" series...
Asha Tank's self-portraits...
Baseroom is a group website showing the work of all ten Interactive Multimedia 3rd-year students...
Also look out for the fine b&w portrait photos of old people by Dale Keates (Foundation), the impressive video / sculptural / photography 'chain' of works by Joanne Moston (Fine Art),
and Debra Smith's work (Ceramics).
New! 05.06.08The Architect's Journal brings news of a new media centre for Stoke-on-Trent, presumably
as part of the new University buildings. The architecture has an uninspiring '1960s secondary-school' brutalist look, but
the functions seem interesting...
"£30 million first phase of the 16ha scheme, a media centre ... four floors of offices and radio facilities on the top floor.
... a 200-seat auditorium to record live shows, and the TV centre"
New! 05.06.08
Job: Poynton High School & Performing Arts School, in Poynton, Cheshire, require a Musician. You'll work
in two of Poynton's partner schools, with their 'early years' children. Phase 1 of the project (July 08 to March 09) will
pay a fee of £3,330. Success will mean that your contract may then be be extended into Phase 2 (April 09 to March 2010).
Full details from: cr@phs.cheshire.sch.uk Application deadline: 20th June 08, interviews on 1st July 08.
New! 05.06.08
Added to the Directory:
Famous When Dead, a contemporary illustrator based in Stoke-on-Trent...
Eye Spy, 24" x 24".
New! 05.06.08 Added to the Directory: Art on Board - Willowmoor Art Workshop is a 50ft narrow boat travelling around the North Staffordshire canal network.
New! 05.06.08
Added to the Directory:
All4One Music - provides production music for film, TV, video productions and websites.
New! 05.06.08
Added to the Directory:
Creative Avenue Ltd - which claims "18 years commercial & corporate design experience".
New! 28.05.08
Job: Keele University, a stone's-throw from Stoke-on-Trent, is currently offering a 0.7 Lectureship in Creative Writing, starting Sept 08.
New! 28.05.08
Job: The University Hospital of North Staffordshire are seeking an Arts Manager for a one-year contract.
New! 28.05.08
An excellently-made new video documentary about the human costs of the forced clearance of one of the strongest communities in Stoke-on-Trent, Middleport.
Your editor can vouch that what's been said here is 100% correct...
New! 25.05.08
On 26th Jun and 1st July 08, Staffordshire University (Stoke campus) will stage two one-day "Making History Days". At which 16 to 18 year-old students can...
"...act as a researcher for a TV Production, set within the last 100 years. You will have a hand in everything from researching
the period to working on the scripts; from designing the costumes to dressing the set. All this within a buzzing university
environment, where you can talk you our staff and students, see our facilities and find out what exciting opportunities are available for you.
The event is open to post 16 students from across Staffordshire who have an interest in History and would like to study it
at Higher Education level. Places are limited so book early to guarantee a place." Details from: j.albins@staffs.ac.uk
New! 21.05.08
Imagine your own studio in the School of Art at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in Birmingham city-centre. Imagine £9,000 in your back
pocket, too. That's what's on offer to the winner of the Wheatley Bequest fellowship. Closing date: 7th July 08, with interviews on the 23rd July...
"The fellowship is directed at artists at the beginning of or at a critical point in their professional career. Applicants should normally have a first degree and/or a postgraduate qualification in Fine Art. The Fellow will be provided with a studio in the School of Art and will have access to all of the Schools’ facilities. The fellowship lasts for 10 months commencing in October 2008 and culminates in an exhibition. The Fellow will receive a stipend of £9,000."
Further information and an application form from: sue.rice _at_ bcu.ac.uk The results will apparently be shown in September 09, as part of the M.A. Fine Art final exhibition at BIAD.
New! 21.05.08
There's to be a one-day symposium for experienced crafts makers on 11th June 08 (9.30am - 4.30pm) at the School of Art and Design, University of Wolverhampton...
"to address challenges faced by mid-career [ crafts and textiles ] makers, exploring opportunities: financial, personal and educational. Speakers: Cas Holmes (Maker), Marlene Little (Course Director B.A. Textile Design), Beatrice Mayfield (Crafts Council), and Heather Rigg (Designer Maker West Midlands)"
The event flyer is here (Word .doc). "Booking essential", cost £20.
New! 21.05.08Longhouse/Multistory (an offshoot of Jubilee Arts/The Public, and formerly called 'Public Art West Midlands') are now offering their 2008 set of
£2,500 Action Research artist commissions, on the usual topic of 'People, Identity and Place'.
New! 21.05.08
Stoke-on-Trent's AirSpace gallery is calling for contemporary art on the subjects
of 'Fantastic, Found and Fake'.
AirSpace note that...
"Currently the intention of the core group is to commission a range of projects; two projects up to £8,000 (two at £4,000), and a
number of small projects in the range £500 to £1,000, and we will also be seeking to commission from students at the lower range of £250 to £500.
It should be borne in mind that these are guidelines not ceilings and that value-for-money will be a consideration.
Please note that these commissions are dependent on successful funding bids."
Deadline: 1st July 08. Full details on the website.
New! 09.05.08
Stoke-on-Trent’s GigJunkie is launching a new book in Stoke-on-Trent. GigJunkie 1 is a…
”..120-page photo diary containing over 200 black & white and colour photographs of bands including, Babyshambles, The Cribs, Bloc Party, Editors,
Foo Fighters, Morrissey, Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Kasabian, We Are Scientists and many local Stoke bands.”
The book launch / exhibition is at The Underground, Morley St, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday 1st June, entry is free and doors will be open 2pm-6pm. For more info email: gigjunkie77 -at- yahoo.co.uk
New! 06.05.08
Added to the Directory: Steve Roberts Caricatures. Buy prints, or commission a caricature picture of your friends, family, workmates, or even your own fave celeb.
Steve is a cartoonist based in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 06.05.08
Keele University's School of Pharmacy has an interesting job on offer, a Graphic Designer and Animator
providing the 3D animation and graphics for "web-based resources and bespoke applications" in the healthcare field.
New! 05.05.08
News of the Open 8 biennial, for which Staffordshire/Stoke artists are eligible...
"Regional artists are invited to submit their work for the first Open West Midlands, taking place at Wolverhampton Art
Gallery this summer. Deadline: 28th May 08." (DVDs and CDs acceptable!).
New! 05.05.08
Added to the Directory: Focus Pocus a folk dance duo based in Hanford, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 03.05.08
Job: Centre Manager, Peak District, Derbyshire. First Movement is the leading arts organisation in the East Midlands working with learning disabled people.
Have you helped run a building used by the public? The Level Centre is a new arts building that launches in Autumn 2008. First Movement seeks a Centre Manager
to run this exciting project. S/he will plan, promote, programme, manage, and monitor activities to ensure the smooth running of the building.
Salary £21,196, hours 37.5 with occasional weekends or evenings. Job share is an option.
For eligibility and further details email: fmt@first-movement.org.uk Closing date for submissions 9am Wednesday 14th May 08, interviews Thursday 22nd May 08.
New! 25.04.08
The Stoke Your Fires animation festival is coming soon (15th to 18th May 08) and some rather big names
are being signed up. Entrance on Thursday and Friday is by ticket only, a two-day festival pass costs £30 and one day £18 - getting a ticket
early would seem like a wise move. (Entrance is free of charge on Saturday and Sunday, although screening of films are priced individually).
Ticket line: 01782 232323.
New! 25.04.08
Helen Thompstone writes to say she's running 'Inspired by Marquetry', a free drop in workshop on 4th May 08 (all ages, 12pm-4pm) to coincide with the
National Marquetry Exhibition 2008 (also free of charge) being held at Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 25.04.08
Ever seen a painting you liked in a local museum, and wanted to take it home? If it was in Staffordshire (or the Black Country, inc.
Wolverhampton and Walsall) then the Public Catalogue Foundation released their Staffordshire book (£20) in summer 2007 that might contain your
masterpiece, although probably printed at rather a small size...
"381 pages with over 2,500 full colour reproductions ... This Staffordshire volume shows over 2,500 oil paintings
from 34 publicly-owned collections in the county including those in the metropolitan boroughs of Wolverhampton, Walsall and
Sandwell. Showing paintings both on display and in store, and ranging from Old Masters to Pop Art, this
comprehensive catalogue offers a valuable insight into the artistic heritage and history of the county.
Major collections such as those at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in
Stoke-on-Trent, and The New Art Gallery in Walsall are featured alongside collections owned by a wide range
of smaller museums, Keele University and local authorities."
Also, they've just this week published a similar volume that covers Birmingham.
New! 25.04.08
As we approach a summer in which many people in-and-around Stoke may have to forego a foreign holiday due to economic hardship, it's timely that
Google Earth’s aerial photography of Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding North Staffordshire countryside has just updated.
The manky brown-tinged photos are gone, and the images now have natural colour, a higher resolution, and are far more up-to-date
(from mid Summer 2007). An excellent tool for landscape photographers, and indeed anyone who's inspired by our British landscape.
Also very useful for checking out holiday and day-out destinations.
Downs Banks, south of Stoke-on-Trent. Elevation lines sit underneath the photography, and tilting the perspective gives you a 45-degree view at an angle across the landscape, enabling you
to see where the valleys and peaks are. This is very useful for photographers and painters scouting out little-known views.
New! 25.04.08
Just published: Downstream: Across England in a Punt, in which
Tom Fort travels down the River Trent
from the river's source above Stoke, to Nottingham and beyond.
New! 25.04.08
Those involved in the arts and culture in the rural market towns around Stoke-on-Trent might want to
attend "Exploring the economic impact of culture in market towns - a one-day seminar". 29th April 08, at The Britannia Hotel, Nottingham.
More info from East Midlands Observatory: info -at- regenerationem.co.uk
New! 25.04.08
The owners of Bournes Bank in Burslem will make the cleared land safe and allow planting of a wildflower meadow —
if 500 people help raise the £1,500 and volunteer to plant seeds...
There would also seem to be some artistic potential, since an artistic pattern of curving paths could be masked with old carpet during the planting.
New! 16.04.08
Our closest Cultural Olympiad Update event will be at the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford, on 14th May 08. You'll
be able to learn about the application process, the Cultural Olympiad themes ('Light Up': light your building with a colour-wash at night - and 'Open Up': hold a behind-the-scenes open-day at your cultural
venue), and more. The day will be from 10am - 4pm. If you’d like to register e-mail Sam Stephens (Culture West Midlands) at s.stephens@culturewm.org.uk
New! 16.04.08
Staffordshire University is offering a 0.4 vacancy for a salaried teacher of creative writing.
Deadline 28th April 08.
New! 16.04.08Arts in the Peak and Leek Public Art Trail are calling for artists' proposals.
Artist (Mark Wood) and curator (David Gilbert, Arts in the Peak) have already been appointed, but
the project would now like initial proposals from artists which will help to develop the project.
The initial consultation runs until the end of May 08, and during it Wood & Gilbert will:
Explore ideas for public art, visual arts interventions, exhibitions and commissions and provide a business-plan for how to take the work forward;
Consult with schools, the people of Leek, Leek Historical Society and other individuals and groups;
Provide a shortlist of potential artists;
Develop grant applications to enable the work to happen.
They will look at the potential for permanently installed artworks. They are particularly interested in 'art in the public realm'
rather than public art per se. They would like to look at the potential for temporary, ephemeral interventions, and for
work in digital projection/night-time projection, sound art, interactive new media, live art, as well as craft practices.
They would like to explore the potential for site-specific artist/maker interventions.
Interested? Send: a short written proposal outlining your idea or ideas (no more than two sides of A4); your up-to-date C.V.
including two referees; at least six images of previous relevant work, or links to work on the web. Send to
David Gilbert, Arts in the Peak at: info@artsinthepeak.co.uk
New! 30.03.08
Film director Mike Leigh (Life Is Sweet) will give the Peter Cheeseman Lecture at Staffordshire University,
on 1st April 2008. The annual lecture is on the subject of the
importance of the arts to ordinary people.
New! 25.03.08
One of the world's top stonemasons, George Plant, is from Stoke-on-Trent...
New! 24.03.08
Stoke-on-Trent -based freelance photographer James Nisbeck has a new website.
New! 24.03.08
Newcastle-under-Lyme -based painter Joyce Iwaszko has a new website.
New! 24.03.08
Stoke-on-Trent's Stoke Your Fires Festival of Animation is now open for submissions.
New! 18.03.08
The Burslem School of Art is planning another 'Talk to Elvis' event, for local arts networking and information sharing about
business opportunities. The event on 26th March 08 (8pm-10pm), at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, will include presentations from successful local creative freelancers and businesses, including
Junction 15, Northern Broadsides Theatre company, and Clare White of Burslem's Local Edition newspaper. More information from Cath Ralph
at: cath@schoolofart.co.uk
New! 18.03.08
Added to the Directory: Wooden Shapes are based at Biddulph Moor, and can supply craft makers with a range of base shapes in wood.
New! 18.03.08
Job: Staffordshire County Council requires a Head of Arts & Museums. Deadline: 24th March 08.
New! 14.03.08
Staffordshire County Council has just posted details of the latest small arts grants scheme, on their website.
New! 14.03.08
Creative Stoke's pages for Education / Training / Skills, Support / funding / networks, and Galleries / Workshops / Venues have had all external links checked by hand, and dead
or astray links on these pages have been repaired.
New! 14.03.08
All of Creative Stoke's internal & external web-links have been
checked for viability by automatic link-checking software.
As a result, 15 dead links have been deleted, 24 moved links have been relocated & repaired.
If anyone knows the online whereabouts of:- ProHelp North Staffs; Johnson Matthey Colours; Exesios; Adam Associates; Moorlands Photolabs;
Envisage; Poppyhead Garden Design; Staffordshire University Intellectual Property services; the document 'Culture that Works,: cultural strategy for Stoke-on-Trent';
Society of Staffordshire Artists; CERAM Showcase; Mould Art; or Churnet Valley Books, then please contact us.
(Please note that the links on the old 'What's New' & 'Events' archive
pages have not been checked & repaired). It's hoped that all links and pages will be further checked by hand in the near future.
New! 12.03.08
A new M.Sc. in Digital Feature Film Production degree at Staffordshire University will begin in April, and will see
a team of seven filmmakers from around the world given £100,000 worth of budget and equipment by sponsors such as Panasonic,
Sequence Post-Production, and Quadrant — to produce a professional
feature-length film. The approach is thought to be unique in the U.K.
If you'd like to be one of the students on this postgraduate course in future years,
more information about the M.Sc. in Digital Feature Film Production can be had from: featurefilm@staffs.ac.uk or visit the faculty website.
New! 11.03.08
Job: The Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Festival requires a Festival Director (part-time, salary: £30k).
Further details from: culturaldevelopment@stoke.gov.uk
New! 11.03.08
Digital Central are seeking ten people from creative companies to experience and explore...
“how using Serious Games can improve your business functionality. The key objective for participants will be to contribute to the development of a game that will ultimately be available on the commercial market.”
As part of the Advantage West Midlands-funded pilot programme of workshops...
“you will not only receive business training through using the game but also be able to network with your peers and hear from Dan Jones, the Head of New Media at Maverick Television, one of the UK’s longest established regional indies. … On conclusion of the programme participants will receive a certificate from Birmingham City University to confirm their involvement as well as at least six months’ free trial of the final developed game, plus a free Nintendo DS loaded with the game Brain Training.
The workshops will be held on: —
Wednesday 19th March / Interactive Workshop 1 (9.30am – 4.00pm), Birmingham.
Friday 4th April / Interactive Workshop 2 (9.30am – 1.30pm), Birmingham.
Friday 25th April / Final Summary event (11.30am – 2.30pm), Coventry.
Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and participants need to be able to attend all three of the events. If you are interested in being ‘one of the 10’ and would like to find out more email the programme coordinator, Rose Padmore
rpadmore@opening-doors.org.uk
There's no mention of this being 'Birmingham-only', so we can assume it's a West Midlands invitiation.
New! 11.03.08
Dialogue Box is a new project at Stoke-on-Trent's AirSpace Gallery. It will be a series of exhibitions in the
gallery window, viewable by those walking past. The window is available for use (£50 p.w. rental) on the following dates in 2008:
2nd – 9th June (1 week)
7th – 14th July (1 week)
18th – 25th August (1 week)
24th Nov – 1st Dec (1 week)
1st Dec – 8th Dec (1 week)
The deadline for applications is the 10th April 08. More information from: airspaceinfo@btinternet.com (with the subject-line "Dialogue Box").
New! 11.03.08
Job: Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent is looking for dynamic creative individuals to join their team
of creative agents. Creative Agents will work with schools in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. An agent must be able to demonstrate an ability to
challenge and support new practice in the field of creative learning, drawing on practical experience of
creativity. Freelance contracts will be available for a minimum of 17 days, up to a maximum of around 47 days —
which would include induction, professional development and contact time with schools. The fee is £240 per day, including expenses.
Deadline for applications: 31st March 08, followed by interviews in Stoke-on-Trent on 14th April 08.
Interested? For more information and a full specification, phone 01782 377440, or email
stokeontrent@creative-partnerships.com
New! 11.03.08
Jane writes from Dove Farm, at Ellastone, near Uttoxeter. The farm is available for day hire or residential workshops, in the form of...
"a group of cottages, sleeping around 16 people. Plus our 'studio' space, which is a light and airy meeting/workshop space - seats 18 people with a
boardroom layout, around 25 with a more informal layout".
New! 11.03.08
Manchester-based artist Dinu Li will present his new video art work at Staffordshire University's Film Theatre, on 17th March 2008, 6.30pm to 8pm.
The video is titled "Dare We Dream of Perpetual Change" and is about... "the passing of light and the changes that take place in time and space".
All are welcome to this free event.
New! 26.02.08
Aly Fell has a gallery of polished fantasy and concept paintings on his website
and on CG Society (warning: no nudity, but some pictures are possibly 'not safe for the workplace').
Aly lives in the nearby town of Buxton, and is a skilled animator who has worked for Eurocom, Core Design,
Nu-Generation and on programmes such as Count Duckula, Dangermouse, and Discworld.
New! 26.02.08
There are discussions afoot to try and get a Stoke-on-Trent Flickr exhibition off the ground. "The
more people who become involved the better" says the group — so check out the Flickr group's discussions
for details of the exhibition and the next planning meeting.
New! 26.02.08
The Rural Education & Arts Project, based in Longnor in the
Staffordshire Moorlands / Peak has announced the dates for its second
Strawberry Moon Festival. This large festival will be taking place on Saturday June 28th
& Sunday June 29th 08, at Tittesworth Water near Leek. The Festival will
again showcase the cream of local talent in live music, drama, dance, rural
crafts and many more art forms. It will feature a 'Makers
Market' which will be an opportunity to meet makers and to try, taste and buy from local food
producers and creative businesses, from textile designers to jewellery
makers to ceramicists. For this, REAP are seeking local food
producers and creative businesses and artists to feature their business or
group at the festival.
REAP are also keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering in support
of the festival, as there are many exciting roles to fill and opportunities
to offer. More details from REAP, phone: 01298 83500, or email
enquiries@reapweb.org.uk
REAP's website reports they're also running a scheme called
'Rural Crafts Revival', about which they say... "places still available for keen young craft makers".
New! 14.02.08Creative Alliance is running another Makers and Shapers course from this Saturday. Starting Sat 16th February 08 is a...
"Creative business start-up and development programme, approximately 60 hours over 2/3 months – leading to a level 3 award in Creative Business
Start-up. Putting a business plan together can seem like an incredibly daunting task, but this programme brings together a formalized
timetable delivery structure with peer to per support and personalized one-to-one advice and guidance with a creative industries business startup
specialist, to support learners through the process in a non-alienating or scary way. Free to any West Midlands based creative business
start-up or businesses within 12 month of trading. Location: the Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham. For more information call 0121 224 7308."
New! 08.02.08
Creative Stoke has a new interview, with Paine Proffitt.
New! 08.02.08
There's to be a one-day Using Digital Media in Marketing and Communications conference at Alton Towers theme park in North Staffordshire, 18th March 08. It aims to introduce innovative West Midlands businesses and research teams to the idea of using digital media to promote their ideas. Hosted by the University of Warwick and Maverick's ideasforlife.tv online video service, the keynote speakers will be Anthony Lilley of independent production company Magic Lantern (Oxford University Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media, member of OFCOM's Content Board, and MediaGuardian columunist) and Dr Adam Rutherford (Editor for Web Publishing at Nature), and also...
..."workshops, a behind the scenes insight into the development of the region’s latest online channel and a short lecture on what every Alton Towers visitor needs – the science of rollercoasters! [...] The conference is free to attend, with each ticket valued at £550, for businesses employing up to 250 people. To attend the conference, or for further information please email events@ideasforlife.tv"
New! 07.02.08Koko Digital are one of the UK's leading digital marketing specialists, strategically located in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 07.02.08
The new West Midlands Animation Forum website has an excellent profile and frank interview with Stoke-on-Trent's SMA Studios.
SMA are organising a Stoke Your Fires animation festival at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent. Pencil the dates
15th - 18th May 08 into your diary — we'll hope to bring you more news and a website link soon.
New! 07.02.08
The 'pioneer of acting theory for animators' Ed Hooks will deliver his famous
Acting For Animators workshop on 14th February 2008.
The one-day workshop will be at Staffordshire University's Stoke-on-Trent campus as part of the University's
1st bi-annual Animation Masterclass.
New! 24.01.08Clutter Magazine, the UK's best designer vinyl toys magazine —
published from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
New! 24.01.08
There's to be a 'Big Lottery Fund' information event in Stoke on Trent event on 8th February 08. The event is specifically targeted at those who give funding advice to
community and voluntary organisations.
(i.e.: the event is not for groups who eventually apply for Lottery funds).
More information from: events.wm@biglotteryfund.org.uk
New! 24.01.08
A date for your diaries: 19th Feb 08 at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.
There will be an event with presentations showing collaboration between companies
and the Arts & Design faculties of both Staffordshire University and Keele University.
Latest research from those universities will also be profiled. More information as we get it. UPDATE: we now have the details and registration form (Word .doc)
New! 24.01.08
The Burslem-based Urban Vision is running a photography competition title "Living Landscapes", open to entries from everyone.
Photographs will be exhibited at Burslem School of Art in March 08. Deadline for entries: 22nd Feb 08. Entry details are at the
Urban Vision website.
New! 24.01.08
Michael Fowell, aged 13, has put together a new website and a photo gallery of the Abbots
Bromley Horn Dance in his home village in Staffordshire. Down at the bottom of the gallery he has five fine pictures from 2007, that
(once saved locally) reveal themselves to be megapixel sized, and very well composed.
Stoke-on-Trent documentary and press photographer Martin Shakeshaft has an excellent Flash slideshow of the event, with integrated recent audio interviews...
Below is an 1899 photograph of four horn dancers, by Birmingham photographer Benjamin Stone. The horns have been carbon-dated to about a thousand years ago.
Peter Barker also has very good Flickr sets of the Horn Dance from 2005 and from 2006.
The next annual set of these ancient Staffordshire dances will be held in September 08.
New! 24.01.08
Design grants of up to £30k are available from the Audi Foundation. The deadline for applications to the Design for Life programme is 31st March 08. On offer are grants of between £10,000 and £30,000...
"in order to produce design solutions to enhance the world in which we live".
The grants are open to just about any bona fide designers with the talent to take advantage of them, including individuals and voluntary groups.
New! 21.01.08
The Stafford campus of Staffordshire University is to hold a 2-day MMOG Games Conference, 5th-6th June 08, to
celebrate the launch of a new course in Multiplayer Online Games Design.
Massive Multiuser Online Games (MMOGs), are being very successfully crafted in the
West Midlands, by the likes of Codemasters (Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Angmar, and
Dungeons & Dragons Online). The videogame business is no longer a bit player in the creative industries — it has already outstripped both the film and music industries, and
the latest figures from the U.S. show that it grew there by 43% in 2007 alone.
New! 17.01.08Paine Proffitt is a Newcastle-under-Lyme painter, specialising in sports pictures and pictures that
successfully weave between many definitional boundaries; such as magic realism, surrealism, vorticism, and L.S. Lowry.
New! 17.01.08
A Creative Consultation Contract is out for tender for East Staffordshire.
East Staffordshire Borough Council's Arts Development Team wishes to engage an
arts organisation to undertake a creative consultation with the communities of
East Staffordshire, its current and future strategic partners and the corporate
management of the council. This consultation will inform the development of an
Arts Strategy for East Staffordshire. The successful applicants will:
have experience in delivering engaging, fun and challenging activities to a wide
range of groups, communities and organisations in formal, informal and public settings
to consult on a variety of arts and community related issues
have experience of working with hard to reach communities
produce a report with evidence and recommendations to inform the Arts Strategy.
Deadline for applications: 7th Feb 08. The consultation will take place between March and May 08. Fee: £8000 exclusive of VAT.
For a full contract brief contact Michele Clerc, Lead Community Arts Officer at michele.clerc@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
New! 17.01.08Job: Nearby 'Sing Up Burton' is looking for a trainee singing leader. Sing Up is delivering the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme
in their area, aiming to raise the status of singing and increase opportunities for school children to enjoy singing.
Sing Up Burton will be working in primary and secondary schools and in community settings, with children aged 8 to 19.
They are seeking an experienced musician with a passion for singing, comfortable with a variety of musical styles. You'll be
a strong communicator and be able to motivate people. Full details are on the Music Leader website.
Deadline for applications: 24th January 08. Short list interviews at The Brewhouse, Burton-on-Trent, early in February.
New! 12.01.08
The Leek Public Art Trail is looking for an artist / project manager with full experience of writing
public-art project proposals and funding applications, for a proposed town trail in Leek. This opportunity applies purely
to Stage 1 of the process. A current budget of £12,000 has already been secured for Stage 2 by
the District Council. The successful candidate for stage 1 will be responsible for securing further match-funding
to enable the design, production, delivery and installation of the actual trail, later in 2008.
Submission deadline: 30th January 2008. Get the full brief from: arts.development@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk
New! 09.01.08Jobs: FolkArts England — based in relatively nearby Matlock, in Derbyshire — is seeking an Arts
Administrator, deadline: 4th February 08. Chester Performs is seeking a Development Manager
and a Projects Assistant, deadline: 18th January 08.
New! 21.12.07
BBC Radio Stoke has built a mini recording booth
in their foyer, and they are offering a free hour in it for you to record your own personal interview. Users will be able to take away a CD with their
recording on it.
New! 21.12.07
Maple Court Primary School in Bentilee, Stoke-on-Trent is working with Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent on an exciting project,
and the school is looking for "a Drama-in-Education practitioner with the ability to teach Investigative Science (AT1)
within an imaginary context" by fully engaging children aged 3 to 6. Deadline 4th Jan 08.
Creative Stoke has the full details in the brief (PDF, 18kb).
New! 21.12.07
Stoke-on-Trent's The Cultural Sisters have a new website.
New! 15.12.07
For those interested in rural crafts, or just budding land artists, there's a free Introduction to Hedgelaying
one-day course at Ballidon Quarry, Derbyshire in January 08, "run by an experienced trainer through the BTCV BIEC Course programme".
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Rachel Grant is a textile artist working in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 15.12.07
Keele University is hosting the Three Counties Open Photography 08, from 22nd Feb - 19th March 08. Contact the
University Gallery for an entry form.
New! 15.12.07
Wedgwood Memorial College now has details online of some of the 2008 short residential courses in art & design.
New! 15.12.07
The Staffordshire Rural Hub is... "a free-of-charge network for all rural businesses wishing to improve their
profitability by looking at new ideas, and networking".New! 15.12.07
The Women's Business Development Agency is now able to give business advice to new businesses in the North Staffordshire and
Stoke-on-Trent. 8 hours, in total,
of business advice are on offer. Interested? Email: action@westmidlandswoman.co.uk
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Mark Brereton has an especially-nice looking new website. Mark is based in Stoke-on-Trent, and his main activity is a fashion agency
... "promoting and establishing a UK national client base for independent designers, labels or brands" ...
"I do the legwork so you can do the needlework."New! 15.12.07
The Creative Stoke Events Diary has been updated with 2008 events.
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Oziac Fires are makers of elegant designer fireplaces,
and are based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. They have a workshop and
showroom in Burslem, and can also produce bespoke fireplaces.
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Brand Designing, based in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 15.12.07
Keele & Newcastle Writing Group are now meeting fortnightly (Monday evenings) at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme,
and the group has new contact details: Roger Stapenhill at roger@stapenhill.info
New! 15.12.07
Christopher Major, of Porthill Stoke-On-Trent, has a new chapbook of concrete and visual poetry which can be downloaded or viewed online at
whyvandalism.comNew! 15.12.07
More new creative live/work units will be available in Burslem's Queen Street, from February 08. Six one-bedroom live/work units will be available with three ground-floor retail/workshop premises.
Enquire about rents and eligibility via Touchstone on 0800 445 567.
New! 15.12.07Valerie Mackenzie is offering bespoke business mentoring to creative businesses in Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Painter William Eccleston has a new website, and is
"based in Hanley, in a purpose-built studio".
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: Want your own Julian Opie-esque portrait hanging on the wall? Newcastle-under-Lyme -based Icon Portraits can provide you with one...
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: The Newcastle-under-Lyme -based Willow Arts has a new website. Willow are "a community arts company specialising in
public and community art. We work in environmental art, photography, and design crafts." Chris Oldham, of Willow Arts, is also a Willow Sculpture Tutor for nearby Rodbaston College.
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: The Stoke-on-Trent -based Fusion Performance Arts has a new website. Fusion offers weekly training in singing, dance and drama
skills at ages 5 to 15 years, each week in Stoke on Trent, including training for Trinity Guildhall / LAMDA examinations.
New! 15.12.07
Community Artists are needed in several boroughs in Cheshire,
to help local communities celebrate Cheshire's Year of Gardens 08. Artists should contact individual councils
for project briefs. Total artist's fee in each location (inc. materials and travel) is £4,400. Deadline for receipt of proposals is 25th January 08.
Crewe and Nantwich would like to hear from an artist or artists who can work
with community groups to create visual art and flower/plant bed designs using
natural products found in and inspired by two areas of the Borough, Queens
Park in Crewe and Nantwich Weir Pool. Both projects will culminate in a
sharing of work at the annual Cultural Festival in August 2008.
Brief available from: Jocelyn McMillan at jocelyn.mcmillan@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
Congleton Borough Council seek a visual artist to engage with young people
from both the settled community and the gypsy / traveller communities to
create a sculptural garden using recycled and found materials. The 'garden'
will be installed on a narrowboat as part of the Middlewich Floating Garden
Festival. Brief available from: Julie Walker at julie.walker@congleton.gov.uk
Macclesfield Borough Council would like to hear from a wood sculptor to work
with a community group to create 'Taylor's Corner' in Knutsford, and a community
artist working with willow to develop the 'Tree of Life' project at a medium-secure unit.
Brief available from: Shelagh Malley, Senior Community Activities Officer at s.malley@macclesfield.gov.uk
New! 12.12.07
Glebe Primary School (234 children, ages 3-11) in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, is working with Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent
to develop a more creative curriculum in relation to the 25th anniversary of the school. They need a creative partner who can work with pupils and staff
to make a film, photographs and a visual art installation. Creative Stoke
has the full details in the brief (PDF, 28kb).
New! 25.11.07
Added to the Directory: Burslem Arts is a new website that profiles and sells "art and unique items all made in a 20 mile radius of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent".
It also has a PDF catalogue/flyer for the Burslem Arts Festival.
New! 23.10.07
Are you a budding storyteller with true-life stories about Port Vale Football Club between the 1950s and the 1980s? If so,
the Lottery-funded Port Vale Tales is a project touring Stoke-on-Trent to hear people's stories.
One of the future stops will be at the WRVS at King George VI Club, Hanley on 28th November 07, at 10am.
Other events will be in Sneyd Green, Abbey Hulton, Burslem and Fenton. Interested? Contact Bill
at bill.cawley@stadiumcommunities.org.uk
New! 19.10.07
Added to the Directory: SMA Studios -
a highly-experienced character-based animation studio, creating
work for commercials, TV, and features. Based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
New! 19.10.07
Added to the Directory: Emily Campbell - a Stoke-based artist undertaking public art projects, including arts and health work.
Her Love Ties work and other work can be seen on her web site and Love Ties is also featured on Creative Stoke.
New! 19.10.07
Creative Stoke has a downloadable and A4-printable copy of the rather beautiful Dishinit poster (225kb),
featuring hand-painting ceramics from this unique Stoke-on-Trent arts project...
New! 12.10.07
Pamela Wells, curator and artist of the Dishinit arts project in Stoke-on-Trent,
writes to give us the dates for the exciting project. It will launch to the public on
Tuesday 23rd October, 6:30-8:30pm, at the New Vic Theatre (continues until 17th Nov 07).
Sure to be a good creative networking evening. Pamela is also interested in hearing from
"any writers who'd be interested" in helping to "get some critical dialogue going", with the possibility of
publication. Interested? Pamela Wells can be contacted on 07771 746383 or via the Dishinit website.
New! 12.10.07
Barry Brown, of Stoke-on-Trent College, writes that
he is... "interested in the possiblility of develop links between the local creative industries
and the media/design department of Stoke-on-Trent College." Are you interested in putting your own
firm or agency forward for such industry-education links? Contact Barry at: bbrow1sc@stokecoll.uk
New! 12.10.07The Staffordshire Dance Collective has a visiting guest workshop in late October. New Art Club – Tom Roden
will be giving a workshop at 1pm-4pm, on Sunday 21st October 07...
"New Art Club was formed in 2001 by Tom Roden and Pete Shenton.
The duo's inimitable combination of dance, theatre and comedy has been
experienced by many through their repertoire of comedy dance shows.
New Art Club believe that choreography is an easy, accessible artistic
discipline that can be practised by all. They create a safe, supportive
environment for artists to work in and with an inclusive and demystifying
approach to skills-based sessions, their work aims to have a memorable and
important effect on the creative and physical development of artists."
Cost: £6/£4 (with discounts for MMU 3rd Year Students). The venue is the Alsager Campus of MMU, near Stoke-on-Trent.
For more information or to book a place please email: rachael@staffsdancecollective.co.uk
Visit for more information about these workshops and the collective.
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Cosmic Studios is a
professional recording studio,
located in the heart of the beautiful and extensive grounds of Trentham Lakes and Gardens
in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Catherine Murray writes from Newcastle-under-Lyme,
that she is "a freelance translator specialising in French and Italian translations into English."
If you can use her services, more information can be had from cd@murray2.eclipse.co.uk
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Chris Lees is a Stoke-on-Trent photographer who has recently launched
an online portfolio at chrisleesphotography.com
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory:
Les Jones is a Stone-based designer
offering "Unique Graphic Art Based on your Name".
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Tom Walker is a Stoke-on-Trent photographer who has recently launched an online portfolio
at www.tomwalker.tw
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: J.W. Hand & Partners Ltd,
based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, and providing... "a specialist service to the ceramic industry ...
Design Visualisation, Rapid Prototyping, Modeling, Blocking, Casing, Ram Press and Die making,
Silicone Rubber and Resin Master Moulds. We can also provide training and offer a consultancy
service."
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Mark writes from Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, to say that he's set up...
"a complete service to the creative and ceramics industry offering: film output, digital
print, large format print, display and exhbition graphics, one-2-one marketing,
vehicle graphics, photography and web design. Interested? Check out his cipher-graphics.co.uk website.
New! 12.10.07
Added to the Directory: Jo Robinson writes from Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, to say that she is a... "freelance music composer specialising in music for corporate video, documentaries and short films" and has
recently moved to Stoke-on-Trent from London. Interested in using her services? Her company website is
Poco a Poco Music.
New! 12.10.07
Creative Stoke is now back from the summer holidays. The break involved a home-move, and then a six-week delay
in getting the BT phone lines and internet hooked up again. Hence the delay in re-starting
Creative Stoke's activities after the summer. Our apologies.
WHAT'S NEW - ARCHIVE PAGE
New! 28.10.09
Added to the Directory: The 
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 22.10.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 22.10.09
Are you the best Young DJ/MC in North Staffs? Stoke-on-Trent's Young DJ/MC of the Year 2009 Competition
is now open for entries. The competition is run by the Shelton-based 
New! 21.10.09
Interested in a look behind the scenes at a thriving and profitable Stoke-on-Trent ceramics firm? Five new videos have been uploaded 
New! 21.10.09
Added to the Directory: Visual artists may be interested to know that Weston Park (famous for staging the annual V Festival)
has launched its own visual arts gallery in a Heritage Lottery Fund -restored building.
Situated on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border just SW of Stafford town, the free 
New! 20.10.09
There's news of a new £1-million Staffordshire Business Support Fund for small businesses in Staffordshire.
The successful Black Country Reinvestment Society (BCRS) is joining with Staffordshire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund, and Advantage West Midlands to
offer new loans across Staffordshire. The Fund will start to operate from November 2009, providing loans to small businesses of between £10,000 - £25,000 — repayable over four years.
Businesses will have to be based in Staffordshire, employ fewer than fifty workers, and have been turned down for commercial loans by conventional banks. Watch for further
details on Creative Stoke.
New! 20.10.09
The 
New! 20.10.09
Those interested in reading more about Anglo-Saxon Mercia may be interested in 
New! 06.10.09
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, is working on a future exhibition of digital art, set to go on display in 2011. They aim to work with local artists, and students,
and want to engage in a dialogue about the parameters of the exhibition. To start this, there's a new 'Leave No Trace: Erasing with digital media' blog about digital art,
at 
New! 06.10.09
Added to Creative Stoke's list of local blogs, on 
The Hoard can be 
New! 04.10.09
The WMRO is inviting West Midlands firms, active in the cultural and heritage sector, to complete a mid-recession survey.
Details, and a link to the survey, 
New! 01.10.09
The Ceramic Industry Forum (CIF) and Birmingham City University have jointly launched the £2.6m New Pathways Project,
to encourage collaboration, innovation and diversification in the interiors and lifestyle market. The project was launched a few days ago at the Wedgwood Museum
in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, and it will give businesses access to free expert advice intended to help them unlock
new overseas markets in interiors and lifestyle, or explore new innovative technologies.
The Project has been made possible by a £1.5 million grant from Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands
and a further £1.1 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund — which will fund the project for the next three years.
Firms interested in finding out more about the initiative should contact the Ceramics Industry Forum in the first instance on 01782 415210 or e-mail: bernie@ciflean.co.uk
New! 01.10.09
Job: 
New! 27.09.09
New! 25.09.09
New! 25.09.09
A Scriptwriting for Animation Workshop will be held on the 5th November 2009, 10am – 4pm, in nearby Wolverhampton. This one–day workshop, run by
Script and Animation Forum West Midlands, will explore the particularities of animation production and writing...
New! 13.09.09
Sarah Nadin, Clare Reynolds and Paul Rogerson are about to embark on a new Lottery-funded visual arts, dance and music project.
The project, titled 
New! 13.09.09
Advance news of a forthcoming 
New! 10.09.09
North Staffordshire's 
New! 03.09.09
The Crafts Council is now inviting submissions for its Spark Plug Curator grants scheme. It offers
successful applicants a grant of £5,000 to research an ambitious, innovative and high-quality contemporary crafts
exhibition. The application deadline is: 2nd October 2009. More details from: a.campbell@craftscouncil.org.uk
New! 03.09.09
Added to the Events listing: "A Quantum Leap: How public art and culture adds value to regeneration" is a one-day
event at the Theatre Severn, in nearby Shrewsbury. The event will be on 8th October 2009, and will run from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
The day is for anyone interested in public / community arts, and regeneration.
For more information visit 
New! 03.09.09
New! 02.09.09
A new "creative hub" for our area, 
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 02.09.09
Stoke-on-Trent's 
Along with the many exhibitions and installations, there are two events that will be of interest to professional artists and makers:
New! 02.09.09
Are you an amateur videogame developer in the West Midlands? Like to be a professional? 
There's also 
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 02.09.09
Added to the Directory: Are you a local farmer who would like a portrait of your cows, set against a rural Staffordshire backdrop? 
New! 02.09.09
Are you writing a novel? There's a new 
New! 02.09.09
Job: 
New! 20.08.09
New! 20.08.09
The 'Art in Empty Spaces' initiative, aiming to find innovative and creative ways to re-use empty High Street shops,
is 
New! 19.08.09
Are you selling visual arts via an online showcase of your work? PhotoShelter has 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 19.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
Are you a entreprenurial new talent in fashion, furniture, hats, handbags, craft, cushions, silverware or ceramics?
New! 14.08.09
The David Canter Memorial Fund is offering a Grant for Craft Artists (usually between £500 and £1,000) to those working in the crafts for special projects, travel
for specific research and for educational work. Awards are made every other year, each time focusing on a specific craft discipline. In 2010, the special focus will
be on paper, calligraphy and lettercutting. Applicants should have finished formal training, and be working full or part-time in the UK.
Examples of eligible costs include: setting up a workshop; buying equipment; research; and travel. The Fund does not have a website, but more information can be had from:
rachel.mackie@crafts.org.uk
New! 14.08.09
Stoke-on-Trent's 
New! 14.08.09
The 
New! 14.08.09
Mid-career designer makers who are interested in finding out about the 
New! 14.08.09
The 
New! 14.08.09
The Live Work Network and Regen WM are holding a half-day masterclass on "
New! 14.08.09
Do you have ideas about how to give children high quality music-making activities? 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
New! 14.08.09
The informal HeadTalk meetings, being held at Fat Cats in Stoke-on-Trent, now 
HeadTalk have an informal "quick fire" presentation night coming up on 13th November 09. More details: stokepechakucha@yahoo.co.uk Deadline for
application: 8th September 09.
New! 14.08.09
New! 14.08.09
Would you be interested in being part of a project about the canal network between Stoke-on-Trent and Lincoln? 
New! 14.08.09
Local artist 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
New! 14.08.09
The 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
Added to the Directory: 
New! 14.08.09
Stoke bands which recently had notable media coverage, and which have a web page: 
New! 18.06.09
A new Midlands festival is being launched in Stratford-upon-Avon, the 
New! 19.06.09
Details are 
The show will happen at the Emma Bridgewater Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent, from 3rd Oct to 13th Dec 09. Entrants must have...
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: 
They'll be having an Open Evening on 16th July 09.
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: Jo Williams writes from Audley, to say that after many years as a textile and show-home designer, she is now offering her work as an equestrian artist, via
New! 16.06.09
Added to the directory: Amanda Woakes writes from Woore (near Stoke-on-Trent), to say she has 
New! 16.06.09
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Museum & Art Gallery now has 
New! 10.05.09
New! 06.05.09
Stoke-on-Trent's 
New! 25.04.09
The 
New! 22.04.09
Added to the directory: Stoke-on-Trent painter in oils, 
New! 22.04.09
Added to the directory: 
New! 04.04.09
All of Creative Stoke's 'Directory' external web links have been checked for viability. The following dead/domain-jacked links have been removed from the Directory:-
Modern Engraving, KDM Events Management, Peter Rose Inc., PMS Associates Marketing & Design, Fired Up Marketing, Sponge Marketing, Rural Education & Arts Project,
Staffordshire Cash for Culture, Barbara Chainey, Woodspinners, Soul Mekanik, Urban Lizard, The Country Gallery, Churnet Contemporary Arts, Marina Designs,
Paul Pickard, Angel Photography, Jon Braley, Derek Shapiro, New Dawn Art. If anyone knows the new online whereabouts of these websites, please contact Creative Stoke.
New! 04.04.09
Bookings are now being taken for the 8th annual 
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: 
New! 22.03.09
Added to the directory: 
New! 22.03.09
Launching on Monday 23rd March 09, a new opportunity for West Midlands photographers. Deadline: 27th April 09...
Her latest project has a website, 
Talking of the School of Art, many will remember Darren Washington's AirSpace Gallery exhibition last year 
New! 14.03.09
Rose Strang writes to tell us about Stoke-on-Trent's "Art for Life" programme co-ordinated by the Royal Infirmary. The latest "Art for Life" project
needs creative writers and emerging poets. "Rebirth Project 2009" will be based at North Staffs Maternity Hospital at the City General. In spring 2009
a new Maternity Centre will open when the old hospital is demolished – so the project is asking people in the city to send them a three-line poem
about Rebirth. In May 09 they plan to include your poems in large-scale light projections onto the building, and some of the best poems will be
included and credited in a book about the maternity transformation. There is also the possibility that some poems could be used in a documentary film.
New! 14.03.09
Added to the directory: Daniel Lyttleton writes to say he has a new website, 
They also have individual craft-glass works available to buy at 
New! 03.03.09
Added to the directory: Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, has a new dance school — the 
New! 25.02.09
Your editor has been building a new project at 
New! 22.01.09
And 
Creative Stoke has 
New! 15.01.09
The British Silk Painters Guild is hosting a weekend festival of workshops and talks on 1st & 2nd August 09,
at the nearby Rodbaston College. The theme is 'Silk Art to Wear'. More details are
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: 
New! 11.01.09
Added to the directory: 
You can see Capoeira Art Brasil on stage on 24th January 09, at 
New! 11.01.09
Added to the 
New! 26.12.08
New! 05.12.08
Julia of 
New! 09.11.08
The North Staffordshire Operatic Society has 
New! 09.11.08
New! 09.11.08
Added to the directory: 
New! 04.11.08
Interested? Please send 
Alongside the many exhibitions, Conjunction has a range of talks and advice-sessions aimed at professional artists. These start on Saturday 8th November from 1pm - 3pm at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, with a public talk by the head of Rhubarb Rhubarb,
Rhonda Wilson, titled "The Secret Life of the Fine Art Photographic Portfolio". And AirSpace Gallery will host three drop-in Business Advice for Artists sessions on Monday 10th November 08.
For the full range of talks, see 
New! 14.10.08
'Intercom Artists Talk: 
New! 11.10.08
Added to the Directory: Stoke-on-Trent -based dark fantasy author Michael Stone has 
"Michael Stone is a vivid and exuberant writer, and a terrific storyteller." Graham Joyce — winner of several British Fantasy Awards and a World Fantasy Award.
New! 04.10.08
The 
New! 26.09.08
Coventry's Talking Birds, a newly-funded Arts Council organisation, are putting on a one-day
theatre event at Birmingham's Custard Factory. 
Five theatre companies will be chosen, and... "there's an actual fee too, as if further incentives were even necessary".
Deadline: 9am on 30th October 08. Submission details 
New! 24.09.08
Keele University Art Gallery has just published the Autumn/Winter 2008/09 
Some readers will already know Catherine as one of the leading
voices at the 
If you'd like to meet some of the people behind the magazine and try your hand at some penmanship, then book now for a series of three public classes
(£10 for all three classes) run by the North Staffs Scribes calligraphy group. The first class will be on 2nd October 08, from 7pm
at The Methodist Rooms in Merrial St., Newcastle-under-Lyme. More information from Trevor Miles, on 01782 634887 or email editors _at_ penpeople.org.uk
New! 16.09.08
Added to the Directory: 
New! 15.09.08
Stoke-on-Trent's 
New! 15.09.08
New! 14.09.08
The Stone-based design firm 
New! 14.09.08
All of Creative Stoke's 'Directory' external web links have been checked by hand. About 25 dead, ISP, and domain-hijacked websites have been deleted from the Directory. About 20 links have been repaired. Also: Creative Stoke now has a new
New! 14.09.08
Creative Stoke has replaced the old public message-board with a shiny new Yahoo! discussion group. Sign up, and get chatting to other readers!
New! 14.09.08
The 
New! 14.09.08
Fuller details are emerging of the new business accommodation that'll be sited at Chatterley Valley (just north-west of Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent).
The £11-million investment in the new-build eco-friendly North Staffs Enterprise Centre (NSEC) will see 94 office suites being created. NSEC is aimed at...
"providing accommodation for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises" according to a recent email from Advantage West Midlands.
New! 13.09.08
Added to the 
New! 26.08.08
Added to the Directory: 
New! 26.08.08
Pippa writes that film extras are wanted on Thursday 28th Aug 08 (it's an all-day commitment) for the Northern Soul 
New! 26.08.08
Added to the Directory: 
New! 26.08.08
It seems very appropriate to hear about Chris now, what with our cycling success in the Olympics, Stoke winning a £10-million grant to further improve our
New! 25.08.08
New! 24.08.08
The 
Sadly Creative Stoke wasn't able to publicise the final event/show and book in June because we simply didn't know about it — a full search for either Liz Lock or Mishka Henner in the Creative Stoke
in-box / desktop-search gives no results.
This final event in June 08 was apparently also accompanied by the Arts Council event "Know Talk Share" at Staffordshire University... "an opportunity for
artists, academics, planners, urban designers, regeneration specialists, architects and developers to talk together in a professional environment about creative approaches to
issues and challenges of regeneration in North Staffordshire". Our apologies, that we were not able to inform readers about these notable events in Stoke.
New! 24.08.08
There's to be a new round of artist commissions for 
Above: Sentinel photo from 
New! 22.08.08
Staffordshire Arts & Museums service are currently discounting their 
New! 22.08.08
Creative Stoke's listings of local camera clubs and photographic societies have now been updated and expanded on 
New! 22.08.08
The 'Land of the Churnet' project at 
New! 22.08.08
There's a new 'Artist Professional Development Programme' in Arts & Health, for established organisations. It's accredited via Staffordshire University.
West Midlands organisations will have the opportunity to work with an artist to carry out a health-based project or arts
commission. All commissions are expected to take place from January to April 2009.
Are you part of an organisation that might be interested? For an informal conversation and a copy of the Commissioner's Information Pack
please contact: Nina Jowett at nina _at_ creativityteam.co.uk
Registration close on 29th August 08.
New! 22.08.08
Anna Francis has a 
New! 22.08.08
Job: Newcastle-under-Lyme Council has a vacancy for 
New! 22.08.08
There's to be a business training workshop on "Successful Selling & Marketing" at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-Trent, on 18th Sept 08.
More information from Olivia at: info _at_ creativelaunchpad.co.uk
New! 22.08.08 The 
~~ Summer holidays ~~
New! 20.07.08
Creative Stoke is now taking a summer break, as it did in previous years.
Enjoy your own holidays; and please keep sending in information, new links, and ideas;
the site will be updated with these toward the end of August 08.
New! 10.07.08
We're very pleased to have a new exclusive gallery of documentary pictures. They were made by 19-year old 
New! 20.06.08
The annual 
Also look out for the fine b&w portrait photos of old people by Dale Keates (Foundation), the impressive video / sculptural / photography 'chain' of works by Joanne Moston (Fine Art),
and Debra Smith's work (Ceramics).
New! 05.06.08
The Architect's Journal brings news of 
New! 05.06.08
Job: 
New! 06.05.08
Keele University's School of Pharmacy has 
There would also seem to be some artistic potential, since an artistic pattern of curving paths could be masked with old carpet during the planting.
New! 16.04.08
Our closest Cultural Olympiad Update event will be at the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford, on 14th May 08. You'll
be able to learn about the application process, the Cultural Olympiad themes ('Light Up': light your building with a colour-wash at night - and 'Open Up': hold a behind-the-scenes open-day at your cultural
venue), and more. The day will be from 10am - 4pm. If you’d like to register e-mail Sam Stephens (Culture West Midlands) at s.stephens@culturewm.org.uk
New! 16.04.08
Staffordshire University is offering a 0.4 
New! 24.03.08
Newcastle-under-Lyme -based painter 
New! 24.03.08
Stoke-on-Trent's 
New! 18.03.08
The 
New! 11.03.08
Manchester-based artist 
New! 26.02.08
There are discussions afoot to try and get a Stoke-on-Trent Flickr exhibition off the ground. "The
more people who become involved the better" says the group — so check out 
New! 08.02.08
There's to be a one-day 
New! 07.02.08
The new 
New! 24.01.08
There's to be a 'Big Lottery Fund' information event in Stoke on Trent event on 8th February 08. The event is specifically targeted at those who give funding advice to
community and voluntary organisations.
(i.e.: the event is not for groups who eventually apply for Lottery funds).
More information from: events.wm@biglotteryfund.org.uk
New! 24.01.08
A date for your diaries: 19th Feb 08 at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.
There will be an event with presentations showing collaboration between companies
and the Arts & Design faculties of both Staffordshire University and Keele University.
Latest research from those universities will also be profiled. More information as we get it. UPDATE: we now have 
Stoke-on-Trent documentary and press photographer Martin Shakeshaft has 
Below is an 1899 photograph of four horn dancers, by Birmingham photographer Benjamin Stone. The horns have been carbon-dated to about a thousand years ago.
New! 15.12.07
For those interested in 
New! 15.12.07
The Creative Stoke 
New! 15.12.07
Added to the Directory: The Newcastle-under-Lyme -based 
